


Sailor Moon H: Half-Blood Prince

by The_Elephant_in_the_Pride_Parade



Series: Sailor Moon H [2]
Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - Sailor Moon Fusion, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Minor Character Death, Multi, Outer Senshi Family, Post Sailor Stars, Sailor Pluto is from Gallifrey, Sequel, senshi kids
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-25
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2018-07-18 03:15:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 267,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7297234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Elephant_in_the_Pride_Parade/pseuds/The_Elephant_in_the_Pride_Parade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mamoru's identity is still a mystery to the Sailor Senshi but he's fallen to second on their list of concerns. Voldemort is on the rise in Wizarding Britain and the Sailor Scouts have been drawn into the fight - even as Voldemort has become fixated on one of their own. With their team split between Hogwarts and the Order, what effect will that have on the growing war, and what consequences are there now that the senshi find themselves in the crosshairs...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The New Recruits

**Author's Note:**

> ONE BIG NOTE: (particularly important if you read my other, Sailor Moon work). I am introducing three original characters into this fic, as a trial run, so to speak. They COULD remain in the series for Deathly Hallows or I could write them out at the end of this story. But it is incredibly important to me that everyone let me know their opinion of them: are they written well, do you hate them, if you like my other original characters (Morgana Avery, or Hamish Stebbins, or Rigel Fawcett) but not the new three, why is there a difference? If you read Pax Lunae and prefer those OCs to these, please let me know why, or if I can do something to write them better.  
> Just PLEASE LET ME KNOW your opinion BECAUSE: whether or not these OCs are received well here determines whether or not I continue to write Sailor Moon fics. into the Crystal Tokyo era.
> 
> Oh, and Disclaimer: I don't own either franchise. XD

 

**The New Recruits**

**_ONE AUROR DEAD AFTER VIGILANTE DUEL_ **

_The Auror office is in mourning today after one of their own, Emmeline Vance, was killed in an altercation with ten men dressed in masks resembling those of the followers of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named._

_Amelia Bones, Depute Head of the DMLE was also injured in the attack, which left five muggles dead, and the Tower Bridge in London severely damaged. Several muggles are in St. Mungos right now being treated for exposure to dark magic. (Byron Mclaggen, Head of the Statute Security Squad assures us they will be obliviated upon recovery)._

_Damage was further caused along the south bank of the Thames by a cyclone that pulled dozens of other muggles out of the river, flooding many of the buildings and further damaging the bridge._

_Several of the Wizarding community were on hand for the attacks and say that while the dark magic was released by the presumed Death Eaters, most of the heavy damage spells (such as the cyclone) were launched by two vigilantes (pictured above). The blur visible in the camera points to a very strong glamour cast over their faces. (It should be noted that the wear the same uniforms as those seen at the battle in the Department of Mysteries earlier this month. The DMLE suspects that it was a pre-planned duel between these two factions that led to the deaths and the collapse of the bridge._

_“_ _It is terribly irresponsible,_ _”_ _Auror Dawkins told us._ _“_ _To be instigating things like this with tensions already running high. Let the aurors handle it._ _”_

_One source though, claiming to be an Auror, but asking to remain anonymous, send us an owl to the contrary._

_“_ _This was a terrorist attack,_ _”_ _it read._ _“_ _Planned only by the Death Eaters. Had those two witches not intervened, the loss of life and infrastructure damage would have been far higher_ _–_ _I owe my life to them._ _”_

 _The source_ _’_ _s identity though has yet to be confirmed, and Minister Elect, Rufus Scrimgeour, has renounced the account._

 _“_ _They are right that these are terrorists,_ _”_ _he said._ _“_ _I can_ _’_ _t confirm or deny the evidence that it was a planned duel, except to say that both parties appeared at precisely the same time, suggesting some prior knowledge on these vigilantes part. To that end I_ _’_ _d ask them to cooperate with the Ministry. We need a concentrated effort led by the Auror office, in whom I have absolute faith. If they have some way of predicting these attacks, we need to know. And they need to cease their current attempts at fighting. The kinds of spell work we saw yesterday cause high damages, complicated clean-ups for our obliviators, and loss of life for Aurors caught in the crossfire. Only the ministry has the resources to fight these criminals efficiently. And I would heavily warn against anyone attempting to help by challenging these Death Eaters on their own. It is only a strong Ministry that will be able to do the job_ _…”_

_(The Daily Prophet, June 29 th)_

_“_ Let's begin by welcoming our newest members,” Dumbledore’s voice crackled through the extendible ear. Harry, Ginny, Neville, and Ron all leaned closer to it, and Ginny pulled Fred and George’s newest upgrade – a fleshy screen dubbed the _extendible eyes –_ closer as well.

“This angle sucks,” Ron frowned, squinting at the low-resolution image projected on the screen. They could only see the view as it was from the crack beneath the door – so really only the backs of the Order were visible, as well as Dumbledore – standing across the table from their extendible eye. It was a further annoyance that the Extendible ear seemed to lag three seconds behind the visual.

 _“We’re working on it,”_ Fred had insisted when he’d gifted it to them ahead of the meeting this morning.

“ _You can’t rush genius,”_ George had added.

“I still don’t understand what makes them qualified and me not,” Ginny fumed, spotting Fred and George standing as Dumbledore introduced them and their contribution to the Order’s efforts. “I’m a knight, after all.”

“And I’m the Chosen One,” Harry muttered.

“Can it would you,” Ron ordered the two of them. “I can’t hear.”

“Don’t worry,” Neville whispered to them. “You’ll still get to go on missions, I bet.” He swallowed. “I asked Mom and Dad to train me over the summer, I thought they’d say no… but Mum agreed right away and not even Gran protested too much.” His hand went to his brand-new, cherry-and-unicorn-hair wand in his left pocket. “I think they need everyone we have.”

“Wonder if Sirius would train me then?” Harry wondered. Probably, he reasoned. Sirius and Remus had tried to keep the brewing war from overtaking the household. And in truth, though the first two weeks of summer had been the happiest weeks of Harry’s life, their effort would never have worked. Harry still had _The Daily Prophet_ delivered to him every morning. He’d begun pinning up articles and obituaries on his walls. Only of those people he knew or knew of. He’d seen Remus taping up whole pages in his study.

“ _Shhh!_ ” Ron said again, though they were all quiet now. The noise in the meeting room had risen to a clamour as the final new members were introduced.

Haruka shook her head at the obvious eyeball whizzing around near the bottom of the doorframe.

“Finally we have Haruka Tenoh and Michiru Kaioh, recent Hogwarts graduates like these others, yes, from Slytherin,” Dumbledore said as the whispers around the room picked up.

 _Now I know why Morgana opted out of this_ , Michiru thought. She ignored some of the Order who shot her suspicious glances and focused on Setsuna, who was beside them, her eyes on Dumbledore.

He’d already spoken with the three of them about the Bridge, about how it might seem suspicious to more than just the ministry for them to appear and disappear from the sites of attacks so quickly.

 _“Then let’s bring the battle to their turf,”_ Haruka had argued. _“Start hitting them back and then they won’t have time to wonder if we can predict their movements.”_

 _“I’d heavily advise against that,”_ Dumbledore had cautioned, looking at them over the top of his spectacles. “ _The Death Eaters have resources we cannot possibly imagine, and we’ve no way of knowing which of them are under the imperius, as before, and which are truly on Voldemort’s side.”_

 _“Then we need to find out more about their plans,”_ Michiru’d argued. “ _Get someone on the inside.”_

 _“Someone already is,”_ Dumbledore had confided. “ _And that is the other reason I need you to be more careful with how you respond to these attacks. It could be very dangerous for our friend on the inside if Voldemort begins to suspect he’s being watched.”_

~ _SMH_ ~

**Muggle-Baiting Tops 1970** **’** **s Highs!**

 _Following a rash of muggle-baiting incidents across the country this weekend, ending with the mob of hooded witches and wizards in Cornwall that saw two muggles killed and dozens hospitalized, the Ministry is unhappy to report that Muggle Baiting incidents for this year have reached 253_ _–_ _topping the record of 248 recorded in 1979!_

 _Most concerning is that muggles at the scenes of the incidents, before their memories were wiped, report that the instigators seem to be primarily youths. Does this mean Voldemort has a fresh bracket of support amongst Britain_ _’_ _s impressionable young wizards? And will the echos of these incidents ring through the conversations in Hogwarts halls come September?_

_(The Quibbler, July 10 th)_

In the days following the newest of Hogwarts graduates and, indeed, even older students quietly receiving the masks and marks of the Dark Lord’s followers, and the drama of one, particular first mission assignment, Severus Snape had expected a visit of some sort from one of his oldest friends amongst pureblood society.

He did not, however, expect she and her rather more distasteful sister to appear on his doorstep barely ten hours after Draco had been given his assignment.

“I cannot change the Dark Lord’s mind,” he told the haggard looking Narcissa Malfoy as her sister paced around them both. Bella never had thought well of him. Or perhaps she simply disapproved of how much favour the Dark Lord granted him.

 _She always has been disturbingly keen on his attention,_ Severus thought as he pondered Narcissa’s, or rather her son’s dilemma.

 _Given what I am already doing,_ Severus sighed, If it came to it, he supposed he could reveal his true side if Draco truly needed saving. “But it might be possible for me to help Draco.”

Narcissa gasped a little, the hope on her face reeked of desperation. “Severus…”

“Swear to it,” Bellatrix interrupted, her voice a high, childlike whisper. “Make the Unbreakable Vow…”

Severus returned her crooked smile with an impassive face as she approached him. She was no Legilimens. She was fooling herself if she thought any brand of her intimidation could break him.

“It’s just empty words,” Bellatrix crooned as she walked around him. “He’ll give it his best effort – like with this potion he’s promised me – but when it matters most…” She leaned in close to his ear. “He’ll just slither back into his hole.” She huffed and pulled away, sighing: “Coward.”

It was years of practice schooling his face to the likes of Sirius Black and James Potter that kept him from showing his rage. He had beaten the Death Eaters many times at their games, once more was mere child’s play.

“Take out your wand,” he told her.

 _I will help Draco anyway I can,_ Severus thought. _And if I can’t…then this will kill me before they can extract any of the Order’s secrets._

 _Imagine if Bella knew she’d just granted me a boon_ , Severus thought wryly.

Though he could not help the brief moment of panic when Narcissa grasped his arm, and the golden chain of the spell wound around their joined hands. It burned with the intensity of the dark mark. He winced.

“Will you, Severus Snape,” Bellatrix began. “Watch over Draco Malfoy as he attempts to fulfil the Dark Lord’s wishes?”

“I will.”

“And will you – to the best of your ability – protect him from harm?”

“I will.”

Bellatrix smirked. “And,” she whispered, walking up to him as the binding magic of the spell continued to burn. “If Draco should fail: will you, yourself carry out the deeds the Dark Lord has ordered Draco to perform?”

Severus took a breath, focusing on Narcissa’s hopeful face. The one deed was not so much a hassle, but second…

“I will.”

Bellatrix giggled. “And finally – will you procure that potion for me.”

He glared at her. “I will,” he said.

Bella had bitten her lip between her teeth, she sucked in an excited breath. “That’ll do.” She ended the spell, and Severus let go of Narcissa’s wrist, shaking out his hand.

“You needn’t have added the last,” He told her. “The Dark Lord knows this is a highly volatile brew and the last of its ingredients, I’m _sure_ you’re aware, is delicate to procure.”

“As long as I have it before the fortnight’s end,” Bellatrix sang. “Can’t be letting you keep it all for yourself,”

Severus rolled his eyes. “You’ll have it a week.”

~ _SMH_ ~

That summer saw the senshi’s homes warded with the best protections the Japanese ministry could offer, and in the early weeks of summer, it was easy to put the problems of the Wix in Britain aside. Their friends made it frustratingly easy, avoiding any mention of anything at all dark or violent in their letters. And Haruka’s, Setsuna’s, and Michiru’s letters were the worst of the lot.

“They don’t tell me _anything.”_ Hotaru complained as she helped Rei sweep the porch. With her mothers in Britain helping the Order, Hotaru was spending the summer with her father. She didn’t mind very much at all – she was finding out so many, many things about him that she’d never known when she’d been young. Like the fact that they both liked their eggs the same way, they both signed their names with the same stylistic flare on the characters, and both of them liked the same classical composers. When he wasn’t at work building the new Mugen Academy, she’d been enjoying showing him how many of those classical scores she could play now. She was not anywhere near as good with the violin as Michiru was, but it delighted her father all the same.

Still, today was one of the many days he was at work: setting up the Academy for its re-opening. And while it was nice of the inner senshi to entertain her, as Rei had by asking for her help today, she was feeling more than a bit like she was being baby sat.

“They have to have told you some things,” Rei shrugged. “Or maybe the Death Eaters just aren’t as active now.”

“Yeah right,” Hotaru scowled. “Evil doesn’t take summer vacations.” Rei held a hand to her mouth to stifle her laugh.

“They write you nearly every day Hotaru. Or they call. Didn’t they say they’ll be visiting soon?”

“Yeah, but that’s not for like…a month.” Hotaru pouted “And all their letters say is stuff like: ‘Hi Sweet Pea: Michiru showed her animagus form to Sirius today and made him fall down the stairs,’ or ‘Harry’s good,’ or ‘Hooch says you’ve a good shot at making the Ravenclaw team.’ And yesterday it was: ‘Hi Hotaru: Nothing’s new. Haruka got pranked by the twins.’”

“She did?” Rei asked, pausing her sweeping and setting the broom aside.

“It happens a lot,” Hotaru sighed, shrugging. “And Ida doesn’t send owls cause she doesn’t have one. And her parents won’t let her call internationally. And Lauren only talks about _Witch_ _Weekly_ , which is dumber than the _Prophet_.”

Rei smirked. “That’s possible?”

“I guess so,” Hotaru sighed. “Harry’s the only one who ever writes anything important about what’s happening – did you know they caught a bunch of Hogwarts graduates harassing non-magic kids last weekend?”

“I didn’t,” Rei frowned.

“Yeah… one of them was a Ravenclaw.” Hotaru frowned. “I thought it was just the Slytherins who were going bad.”

Rei sighed, about to respond, when Phobos and Deimos started squawking overhead. She darted her head towards the sounds and leapt over the railing of the porch. She shielded her eyes as she looked up towards the bright sky and grinned.

“Guys,” Rei chuckled to the two crows. “We talked about this: let him through.”

Phobos flew down towards her, squawking as she circled Rei’s face and then darted to Hotaru, who was leaning over the porch railing. Phobos landed on Hotaru’s head, ruffling her feathers and pointedly jerking her beak away from Rei.

“Deimos,” Rei warned, smirking up at the second crow.

Her second familiar circled the arriving owl for its entire descent towards the ground, cawing ceaselessly. When the owl finally landed on Rei’s outstretched hand, it was quivering.

“I apologize for them – they’re very protective,” Rei told the barn owl as she untied the letter from its leg. As soon as it was free, the owl flapped its wings, retreating towards the sky.

“You two had better not do that when my book list gets here, I hope you know,” she told them.

“That isn’t the books?” Hotaru said.

“Nope,” Rei grinned, turning the envelope around. It had a ministry seal. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and held down the 1.

“Usagi – did you get yours? _No don’t open it yet, Bun-head._ We’re all gonna open them together.” She rolled her eyes. “Because I know you: You’ll burn yours before we get a chance to look. Fair’s fair. We’re opening them together like we said.”

She passed the envelope to Hotaru, who couldn’t resist tearing it open.

**ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVEL RESULTS**

Hotaru looked up, Rei was still arguing with Usagi. Smirking, she pulled the parchment further out of the envelope.

Rei Hino HAS ACHIEVED:

**Arithmancy:                                     E**

**Astronomy:                                     O**

**Charms:                                           E**

**Defence Against the Dark Arts:        O**

**Divination:                                       T**

**Herbology:                                       T**

**History of Magic:                              A**

**Potions:                                           O**

**Transfiguration:                               O**

**_Griselda Marchbanks_ **

Professor Griselda Marchbanks

Governor, Wizarding Examinations Authority

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardy**

Headmaster Albus Dumbledore: _Ord. M. 1 st Class, _

_Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,_ _Supr. Mug. ICW)_

_“YOU GOT TROLL FOR DIVINATION!”_ Hotaru gasped, giggling when Rei whirled around, snapping her phone shut.

“I did _not_!” She huffed, crossing her arms.

“Then why’s it say that right here?” Hotaru teased, waving it in front of her.

“I…I _ugh_!” Rei scowled. “They have no _clue_ how to predict the weather let alone anything important.” She snatched the marks when Hotaru offered them.

“And a D in Herbology,” Hotaru smirked.

Rei sighed. “I knew I failed the practical, but I _thought_ the Herbology essay would be enough.”

“How’d you fail?” Hotaru asked.

Rei blushed. “I kept… burning my plant.”

Hotaru hid her grin behind her hand. “Don’t worry,” she teased. “I’m sure Usagi did _a little_ worse.”

Rei’s ears turned pink. And her hair looked like embers at the tips. She rolled up her sleeves. “Oh you think you’re funny,” she said, wriggling her fingers. “We’ll see who’s laughing in a second.”

Hotaru’s eyes widened and she shrieked, darting away and running around the other side of the porch as Rei gave chase. Her laughter carried up over the trees and was the first sound the other Senshi heard when they all arrived at Juuban ten minutes later.

All of them grinned at each other when they got up the steps and saw Hotaru and Rei collapsed across the steps.

“It’s good to hear her laugh,” Usagi whispered.

“Yeah,” Makoto said. “Bet she’s missing her moms something awful.”

“Not to mention Chibiusa,” Ami said. “I think she still has some friends from their class, but I bet most of the friends she has now are at Hogwarts.”

“Well she’ll be back soon enough. Say, do you think they send out _her_ exam results?” Mina asked.

“I’m sure she’s done perfectly well,” Ami said. “I did fairly well myself, they were straightforward exams, especially History, don’t you think?”

“Ha!” Mina shouted, stuffing her results farther into her pocket “Absolutely. In fact, I’m hoping I got T: for Totally Awesome”

Makoto snorted. “That stands for Troll, Mina.”

“Noooo,” Mina winked. “That’s only what they _wanted_ you to think.” She put her hands up in front of her and spread them out as if picturing a banner. “Totally Awesome. As in: It’s totally awesome that I never have to sleep through a class with Binns _again_.”

“Oh! Then I hope I got Totally Awesome too!” Usagi grinned.

Makoto laughed. She looked at Ami. “You opened yours already. How did you do?”

Ami was blushing, scratching the back of her neck. “Outstanding.”

The others collectively groaned.

“You got O’s on all of them didn’t you?”

“ _IgotanEinHerbology_ ,” she muttered.

“You got an E,” Hotaru said, sitting up as they reached the porch. She grinned, waving a piece of parchment. “Rei got a T”

Rei sighed, glaring at the others as the chuckled or smirked. She lifted her head from the steps. “Well I can’t be the only one with bad marks. Mina,” she pointed. “Usagi: Cough ‘em up.”

Mina and Usagi looked at each other and gulped. “It was nice knowing you my friend,” Mina said dramatically. “I haven’t opened mine yet.”

“I didn’t either.” Usagi said, brandishing her unopened envelope. “The two of us are going to fail together.”

“And we’ll never have to go to a single class this year,” Mina grinned.

As the others watched, they swapped envelopes, nodded to each other, and tore the seals at the same time, whipping the parchment out of the envelopes and cracking them open.

Both of them looked at the same time and gasped. They gaped at each other.

“ _WHAT!”_

~ _SMH_ ~

_July 15 th,_

_Dear Usagi,_

_Sorry ahead of time that I’m not saying much about the Order. Habit from last year. Plus, we’re still not sure if our letters will be read._

_Ugh! Can school start already? Is that a totally backwards thing to say?_

_You are so lucky your parents have no idea about the magic thing. Why would you ever consider telling them?_

_Mom somehow (Percy) found out about Jadeite. She tried to take the sword, said its too dangerous for me to keep under my pillow, or whatever. But I wasn’t having it. Thank god I’ve got Fred, George, and Ron to back me up on that. It’s even worth the twins jokes._

_They’ve got plenty of material now, see. Everything from: “Mom did you know you have seven sons now” to saying: ‘Ginny, no wonder you’re such a good hexer. You’ve been a seventh-son-of-a-seventh son all this time.’_

_They mean them in good fun of course. Mom doesn’t know what to make of it. Honestly? What is the big deal. I’m a GIRL now, duh. I guess sometimes I feel like a guy. A bit. Like if I’m dreaming about his life, or when I’m transformed. Or I guess transformed-me feels like a “They.” I’m still figuring it out. Really glad Harry’s around this summer though. He’s been by the Burrow a lot, or we’re by Grimmauld for meetings. So I actually get the chance to spend time with him. He’s the only one who hasn’t cracked a joke yet about my past life being a dude. And he doesn’t ask all the awkward questions that Ron seems to spew at every possible moment (They don’t bear repeating. Except to Hermione. She’s promised to give him a lecture and I’m dying for her to get here so I can see it – WHY CAN”T IT BE AUGUST ALREADY)._

_Sorry, I want to get back to Harry for a second._

_He’s been writing me a lot lately – Hedwig’s here every other day. We sorta started bonding over how no one lets us help with things even though it’d make a lot of sense to have me and the Chosen One helping out. But apparently the adults (besides Sirius) don’t think so. Back to Harry: we’ve been talking a fair bit. I think it definitely helped that I was on the team last year. We probably talk about Quidditch even more than he and Ron, if you can believe it. We talk about lots of things actually… and he keeps complimenting me on…things. Like my clothes, or my flying, or my hexes. I’m not sure he realizes he’s doing it. And he doesn’t realize when it comes off as flirting. It’s really frustrating._

_I’m not going to worry about it though. I figure, if he wants to get his head out of his ass and make a move, he can, but I’m not waiting around for him. Michael Corner likes Quidditch too and_ he’s _got amazing arms (you have to have noticed)._

_You said in your last letter you weren’t going to wait around for Mamoru. Well I’m not waiting around for Harry. I say we both date – we’ll make a pact._

_Can’t wait to see you in August!_

_~Ginny_

_Ps. How did your OWLS go? Ron actually managed an A in Divination even if he did get a D in History. And I know Hermione’s gotten at least one E (oh the horror). Harry got the highest DADA marks in the year, no surprise. How’d you guys do?_

~ _SMH~_

_July 16 th,_

_Ami,_

_Okay so I have sent this via the muggle express post just to test a theory. I sent another letter by owl. It’s not the real letter though. I need you to see if either’s been read. I have a theory that the Death Eaters won’t think to trace the Muggle mail. And I have a feeling the muggle post will reach you faster. After all it’s flying by airplane and you said the last owl reached you five days after postage. (I think it’s quite awful they have to fly all that way. Ron assures me they’ve got something magic done to them that makes it easier on the birds, but even so, there’s half a planet between Tokyo and Oxford._

_I was so glad to hear you got an E in Herbology! I got one in Defence! I swear it must be rigged or something. Maybe its impossible to get all O’s._

_I guess I have to concede though that I didn’t do nearly so well on the practical as Harry did. There’s just something a lot different about Defence-oriented spells than the normal charms from duelling. And even in duelling, my casting time is pretty slow, though the spells go perfectly. I’ll have to work on that a lot this year... especially with the war coming._

_I know I’m going to be fighting in it. There’s too much at stake, and I’d never be able to sit at home with Mum and Dad twiddling my thumbs._

_You’ve fought a lot of battles right? Not against wizards, I suppose, but other things. How do you keep your head? How do you… think quickly enough, and then make your body react at the same time._

_I remember in the Department of Mysteries: I had all the right spells in my head. I knew exactly where I needed to be in the room, and what we needed to do…but as soon as the shelves went down I just couldn’t move! I still had all the spells…literally at my fingertips and I couldn’t cast a single one. Neville had to bring me to my senses. And then when Dolohov attacked… He actually voiced his spell, I didn’t tell anyone that. I’d read that same incantation in a book in the Black Library over summer…I knew how to counter it, and it hit me anyway, because I just wasn’t fast enough!_

_I need to get better. Do you have any advice?_

_Looking forward to seeing you in August: Flourish and Blotts catalogue has a bunch of new titles we absolutely need to go hunting for._

_Miss you!  
H.J.G._

~ _SMH_ ~

_July 17 th_

_Hotaru,_

_First of all we miss you terribly. Don’t think for a second we don’t. It’s been very busy in London. Nothing too bad, I promise we can more than handle what Voldemort’s followers put us up against. You just enjoy your summer – I know you’re eager to fight, but sweetheart you’re going to regret not enjoying your normal life while it lasts. My dream is that you’ll never have to fight a battle again, not if I can help it anyways. I know that’s unrealistic. I’d never actually stop you from being a senshi. But you’ll have to forgive me how much I want to protect you – you’re precious to us, Hotaru. Just as you are to your father._

_Speaking of, a certain mirror told me he’ll be finished with the preparations for Mugen’s school year early. He’s going to have a whole week to take you on vacation so start dropping hints now if there’s a place you want to visit. And if he doesn’t get to it, I promise the three of us will take you on a vacation of our own the first chance we get._

_I’m happy to hear you’re spending time with the girls, and don’t worry. I know you think your Ravenclaw friends won’t be as good friends this year since you’ve fallen out of touch. But believe me – they’ll be even more excited to see you._

_All my love,_

_Mama M._

_Hey Sweet Pea,_

_High five for winning that tickle battle with Rei – You wouldn’t happen to know what they all got for OWLS would yah? Mina claims to have “lost” her results. (You can tell her Michiru and I scored all O’s on the NEWT…I’m kidding I got a D in Astronomy, but that’s irrelevant. Don’t tell Usagi that – I have an image to maintain. (I’m just telling you so that you don’t worry about your Transfiguration score. We can’t all be good at everything)._

_And I promise – there’s nothing bad going on here. The Death Eaters got nothing on the Space Sword and they know it._

_I can’t wait to see you. I keep trying to convince Setsuna that she can bend her own rules, but I guess it really is bad to have two versions of us existing at the same time. And every time we are free it’s night time over in Tokyo. Still, it’s only a month till you’ll be here to get your books. And you gotta get your broom and then get plenty of practice on it if you’re going to make the Ravenclaw team. (You’d better make it too cause Suna has a bet going with Mme. Hooch)._

_Love you, kid. Counting the days._

_Papa_

_Hotaru,_

_I was glad to hear you’re having such a good time with your father, but I know you miss us too and it’s okay to say so. Don’t feel like you’re guilting us._

_I am sorry we have to be here and you in Tokyo. It’s not fair to you. And I promise this year we’ll keep you in the loop as much as we can._

_Congratulations on your exam results by the way. Ravenclaw should be proud. You’ve more than earned that spot on the Quidditch team._

_Grimmauld is, as always, busy. There is another meeting tomorrow. This is a much larger group than I initially thought. You’d be happy to see it. Trust me, for all the support Voldemort has, there’s more people than that who think he’s wrong._

_One more thing, don’t forget your old friends in Juuban. Momoko and Kyuusuke will be overjoyed to see you again._

_And I’ve just learned that I will see you August 20 th at 14:02, Sweet Pea. Don’t be late. ;)_

_Love,_

_Mama S._

~ _SMH_ ~

Harry flooed home from the Weasleys’ house with Ron and Ginny in toe just in time for dinner on July 17th, but stopped short in the fireplace when he landed, frowning at the scene in the living room.

Severus Snape, leaning over Professor Meioh where she was sat on the couch, his hand on her shoulder and his face inches from hers.

“Uh,” Harry stammered. Severus Snape whipped around, glaring at him.

And just then someone heavy and gangly crashed down on his back. He was still standing in the middle of the fireplace.

“Argh!” Ron groaned, shoving Harry out onto the carpet. “Bollocks, Mate. You’re supposed to move.”

“Language, Mr. Weasley.” Snape glared.

“Uh… right… sorry?” Ron said as Ginny landed in the fireplace, brushing off her shirt.

“Did Harry trip on the firewood again?” Ginny asked, smirking at the both of them on the floor.

“Miss. Weasley,” Snape said, making Ginny snap her head up. “If you could make yourselves scarce.”

“They don’t have to leave Severus,” Professor Meioh chuckled, one hand pressed to her forehead. “It’s Harry’s home too.”

Harry stood a little straighter, thrilled as he always was when he was reminded that Grimmauld place was now his home. It didn’t matter that Sirius said the guardianship paperwork would be processed soon. He was still waiting for the day someone announced he must return to the Dursleys.

“They do if they’re to keep causing a racket,” Snape commented. “Potter, Weasleys, a little quiet would be appreciated.”

“Are you sick?” Ron blurted out. And indeed, Harry realized, Professor Meioh did look dazed.

“Only a headache,” she assured him. “They happen when I’ve worked too hard.”

“Where’s everyone?” Harry asked. It was still an hour before the Order meeting. Snape didn’t usually show up so early. Harry couldn’t stop staring at Snape’s hand on Prof. Meioh’s shoulder.

“Doing their jobs, I would expect,” Snape said. “Being productive, upstanding members of society, if you understand what those are, Potter.”

“ _OI_!” Sirius voice thundered down the stairs. “ _If you’re going to talk like that, Snivellus, you’re going to leave my house!”_

“I think you’ll find as long as the Order holds it’s meetings here, Black, that I’ve no choice to be here or not. And I said be quiet,” Snape said, rolling his eyes. Professor Meioh was still holding her head. He resumed glaring down the students. “Shoo, all of you.”

The three of them rushed as quietly as they could to the stairs, tip-toing towards the upper floors. Harry paused halfway to the first floor, putting a finger to his lips as Ginny and Ron turned to see what the hold-up was.

“ _You’ve been working too hard?”_ Snape murmured.

 _“I’m fine,”_ Meioh said. “ _These happen sometimes.”_

Harry frowned, carrying on up the staircase when Ron coughed. All of them filed up to Harry’s room – the same one he and Ron had shared the previous summer.

Ginny lingered in the doorway, staring back down the stairs with a frown on her face. “That could be bad.”

“Why?” Ron frowned. “I mean, didn’t Harry say last week it’s like she never sleeps? I’m not surprised if she gets headaches.”

“You’d never know though,” Harry murmured. Granted, the three Senshi had only been living at Grimmauld Place for a month, and he saw Pluto the least of the three of them but still… “I’ve never noticed.”

“And she’s the Guardian of Time,” Ginny worried, her right hand reaching for her absent sword that she had been forbidden from carrying around on a casual basis (Ron said that particular fight between his mother and Ginny had seen both he and his father making a hasty retreat to the shed).

“Think about what could give a Time Guardian a headache.” Ginny shook her head. “I don’t like what I’m coming up with.”

Downstairs, they heard a door slam and Haruka’s voice trailing up the stairs.

“They might get to talking about Order stuff,” Ron said, pulling the extendible ear out of his pocket. “Come on!”

~ _SMH_ ~

Down in Grimmauld’s living room, Setsuna rubbed her eyes and looked up as Severus set a cup of steaming tea down on the coffee table in front of her. “Thank you,” she said, straightening up. She was much less dizzy now.

“You know it would behove a Hogwarts Professor to take proper care of themselves,” Severus said. “Imagine if you’d nearly fainted in front of your students.”

“I didn’t nearly faint,” she said. She’d been too dizzy to see straight for a few moments and she’d had a piercing headache, but that had abetted now. “I’ve clearly just been working too hard.”

“That’s what I’m saying,” Severus shook his head and put a hand back on her shoulder. “You’ll forgive me for saying so, but for someone who claims such close ties to Time you are dreadful at managing it.”

Setsuna frowned, trying to think of a witty comeback. She sipped her tea. Her favorite, she realized.

“ _HOME!”_ Haruka shouted, slamming the front door behind her. Setsuna winced and put a hand to her head. “Any new letters from – oh,” she paused in the doorway, crossing her arms over her unbuttoned white shirt and frowning at the two of them. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Setsuna said. “I’m fine.”

“A headache,” Severus said smoothly. “Likely from overwork.”

Haruka eyes fell on Severus and the hand he still had on Setsuna’s shoulder. “Well, she said, walking swiftly to the couch and sliding in beside Setsuna. “I’ve got something that’ll make you feel better.” And she whipped a muggle envelope out of her pocket. Setsuna’s face brightened immediately. “Kid’s written us an essay.” Haruka put her arm around Setsuna as she snatched the letter, effectively pushing Severus Snape’s hand away.

“Snape.” Haruka stared hard-eyed at him. “Dumbledore wanted to see you at the castle,” she said. “Probably wants to talk before the meeting.”

“Interesting,” Severus murmured. “Considering I spoke with him last night.”

“Well,” Haruka challenged. “Couldn’t hurt to talk to him again.”

Severus nostrils flared but his face otherwise remained impassive. “Indeed.” He turned and stalked out of the room, towards the front door.

“You know I think I agree with Sirius,” Haruka said once Snape had gone. “He’s kind of a git.”

“Well perhaps you’ve been spending too much time around Sirius,” Setsuna said. “He’s actually very nice.”

“Hmm.” Haruka pulled Setsuna closer as she read through Hotaru’s letter. “Well he’s right about you working too hard. Don’t think we didn’t hear you come back to your room at 6 am the other day.”

“I had, important things to do,” Setsuna said. “The class lists need to get done, they’ve told me to pick a threshold for who can continue Divination as an NEWT, and Trelawney and I have vastly different standards. I’m considering creating an additional class. And there’s the Death Eater’s movements to watch over.”

Haruka sighed. “Still think we’re not doing enough. Dumbledore’s still insistent we not _cause_ any conflicts.” She clenched her fists. “The Order’s not being proactive enough.”

Setsuna nodded, sipping her tea again as she tried to dispel the last of her dizziness. “Maybe so.”

~ _SMH_ ~

_July 18 th_

_Dear Harry,_

_There was an attack on Diagon? That’s crazy. I’m so glad they were able to save Ollivander. Thanks for the newspaper clippings. It is weird that they’d single someone like Shunpike out as a death eater, but not someone like Narcissa. Just because they didn’t see her at the Ministry doesn’t mean she wasn’t in it just like Lucius. I wonder if Draco and his friends will join up too. I wouldn’t be surprised. Luna’s been sending me copies of The Quibbler and they said a lot of Hogwarts kids have been caught in muggle baitings lately. Can’t the Ministry or the Aurors do more about that?_

_Of course, maybe the ministry isn’t doing more because they’ve already got people near the top on Voldemort’s side (probably at the Prophet too given some of these clippings). That’s what happened at Mugen (The school my dad owns): Our enemy had already infiltrated the top tier of the school. So none of the teachers thought to sound the alarm when anything was amiss cause my Dad (he got possessed) kept sweeping things like students who went missing under the rug. And the students at the top of the senior class got recruited too. So they convinced all the younger kids everything was normal. By the time the senshi got to fight them, they were already so entrenched it ended up being a really bad battle. I hope it doesn’t come to something that bad with Voldemort._

_Mamas and Papa haven’t told me any of this, of course. I bet they say even less than The Prophet. They mean well. I guess. But I’m not afraid of Voldemort, or of fighting. Next time I see him, I’ll make sure he doesn’t apparated away._

_Otherwise, how’s living at Grimmauld? I’m glad you’re having fun. I wish I could be there and get to see the others as much as you do. Have you gotten to spy on anymore Order meetings?_

_Happy Birthday in advance! I know it’s coming up. Are you having a party? I wish I could come back in time for it. But that wouldn’t be fair to Papa (my dad, not Haruka). It’s been super great spending so much time with him now that he’s recovered. I like that he’s happy now. And I’ve gotten to spend some time with my old friends here too. We’re going to a festival the day of your birthday, so I suppose I get to have sort of a party._

_Still, I can’t wait to be back. Mama Suna says I can come back to get my books in three weeks. They’re going to buy me a broom too!_

_See you soon!_

_Hotaru._

~ _SMH_ ~

_July 27 th_

_Hotaru,_

_Sorry this letter’s late. I can honestly say this is the first summer I’ve ever been too busy to remember letters._

_I’d bet anything Draco’s a Death Eater. No question. And Crabbe and Goyle’d do anything he said. Nott and Parkinson are just like him too. I wonder if they’ll all have tight sleeves on their robes this year. Sirius says that’s what they used to do in the first war – to make sure their sleeves didn’t ride up and show the Dark Mark on their arms. Remus says we have to give Malfoy a chance. I don’t get why though. Malfoy’s a git._

_Don’t worry bout your parents. They’re good. Sirius and Remus say they’re a huge help on missions too! They actually caught three Death Eaters last week. They were Polyjuiced though. And the ministry took them away before we found out who they were._

_I think they’d catch more, but Remus says they’re relying on a lot of creatures – giants and ogres and things. He says we’ll probably see more vampires and werewolves and inferi (we’d call those zombies) the bolder Voldemort gets._

_I’m not afraid either. If only Voldemort were easier to find. They think he’s in an unplottable location, like Hogwarts. Guess that’s why Prof. Meioh and Michiru can’t find him._

_There haven’t been any new missions going on this week. But I heard they have someone watching Ollivander’s shop 24/7 now. Otherwise the Death Eaters have gone quiet. Some of the Order say now might be the time to attack them, but Sirius says Dumbledore’s being really cautious. Don’t worry about them coming to look for you all in Japan though. Ron says they’d be mental to try anything in Tokyo like they do here – apparently Japan has the best Aurors in the world._

_Otherwise it’s been an amazing summer. I’ve gotten to spend nearly every day with Ginny and Ron. And Neville’s been round most days too. Living with Sirius and Remus has been great! It’s like with your dad – it’s so cool to see them both happy, which they are even with the war. Ron actually reckons Sirius and Remus are more than friends. So I told him they remind me of he and Hermione, but he pretended not to know what I meant._

_I agree with Ron. They’re definitely more than friends, but they hide it well. Don’t know why. Ron reckons they’re still figuring out how to tell me. Hermione says some Purebloods and even muggles get weird bout that. Still – your moms are living with us and they’re brilliant, so I don’t know what’s taking Sirius and Remus so long to come out with it._

_I love living here. I almost don’t want to go back to school. But I also do... I don’t know nearly enough yet to stop Voldemort. I need to learn more._

_Anyways, I’d better go. I’m running out of parchment._

_– Harry._

Harry James Potter woke up on July 31st to barking and to four large paws bouncing on his mattress. The first thing he saw when he blinked his eyes open was the blurry mass of black fur looming over him, barking and nudging Harry with his big cold nose.

“What?” Harry muttered, pushing the dog’s face away. Padfoot loomed over him, tongue lolling as he grinned. A huge drop of drool splashed on Harry’s forehead.

“Blech! Padfoot!” He shouted, pushing the dog off of him. Padfoot carried on barking excitedly, jumping off the bed and putting his front paws on the nightstand. He pushed Harry’s glasses towards him with his nose.

“Eww,” Harry muttered, wiping off his glasses and settling them on his nose.

The moment he did, a flurry of confetti exploded around his bed, covering he and the still-barking Padfoot in multicolored bits of cray paper.

Harry gaped and pushed back the covers, stumbling out of bed. His window snapped open then and two balls of light zipped into the room, circling around the ceiling and crashing together, sending sparks flying as a huge banner unfurled in their wake, floating overhead.

_HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRONGSLET_

A camera flashed and Harry looked towards the door. Remus was leaning against the doorframe, a lowering the giant camera away from his grinning face.

“Happy Birthday,” he said as Harry rubbed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair.

“Th-thanks,” Harry said. “I…I thought it was just a party.”

“ _Just a party_?” Sirius scoffed, and Harry turned round and stared. Sirius was wearing a black tee shirt with Harry’s face looking around bewilderedly plastered across the front, the glasses on his image lopsided on his nose. And on Sirius head was a bright gold and red pointed party hat. “I have missed _fourteen_ of these, and you think I’d settle for a party.”

“I apologize,” Remus chuckled. “I tried to temper the enthusiasm. I was overruled.”

“He was all for it,” Sirius said. “Hurry up Harry,” he said. “Get dressed – the bacon’s going to get cold.”

Breakfast was a meal the likes of which Harry had never seen outside of Hogwarts feasts. Everything was homemade and piping hot: scrambled and soft-boiled eggs, waffles, bacon, sausages, hash browns, a fruit bowl higher than Harry’s head. Sirius and Remus even let him have coffee, which no one had ever thought to offer him. He had one taste of it. It was so foul even with the sugar that he promptly spit it back into the mug amid Sirius and Remus howls of laughter.

“Well that answers that question,” Remus mused.

“Lily couldn’t stand coffee,” Sirius explained. “James used to live on the stuff.”

Even though Remus said he didn’t need to eat it all, Harry still tried to fill his plate with a little bit of everything. He managed to eat nearly all of it – in between frequent pauses to laugh and retaliate after Sirius started shooting off all manner of jinxs from under the table. Harry was even allowed to use his wand, which normally he wasn’t allowed to do, despite the trace being unable to detect underaged magic in a Wizarding household.

“It’s your birthday,” Remus reasoned when Harry asked him after breakfast. “That warrants a certain amount of rule bending as the long-established code of Birthdays dictates.”

“Does that actually exist?” Harry wondered.

“I’m _glad_ you asked!” Sirius exclaimed, waving his wand and clearing the breakfast table in one, exaggerated sweep of his arm. He waved his wand again and cloud of purple smoke appeared overhead, poofing away and revealing a thick, brown-papered, and square package that landed with a hard thud right in front of Harry’s seat.

“ _You_ got me a book?” Harry muttered. Picking up the heavy package. It definitely felt like a book.

“Oh! Ungrateful!” Sirius put a hand over his heart. “Books are the most valuable of birthday presents. Now I know Hermione’s made you a bit wary _but_ ,” He grinned until all his teeth showed. “You’re going to like this one.”

Interest piqued, Harry found the spellotaped corner of the package, carefully peeling back the brown paper and setting it aside. He held the book up and raised his eyebrows at the gold-embossed title.

_A Compendium of Mischief: 1971-1979_

“This is every prank,” Sirius said.

“From every school year,” Remus continued.

“We ever attempted,” they finished together, in an eerie mimicry of the Weasley Twins.

Harry gaped at them, and at the book, and traced his fingers across the golden letters. “How long did this take you?”

“Well we were keeping a record from fifth-year on _anyways_ ,” Remus said. “There was a bit of Pensieve searching for the rest, but,” he sipped his tea. “It was a worthwhile effort. There’s some brilliant spell combinations and time or trigger sensitive spell work in there that should be preserved.

“And the Birthday Code is in there,” Sirius said. “In fact there is a whole Birthday chapter.”

Harry was so enthralled that once he had opened the book to its first page, with a foreword by Messrs Moony and Padfoot, he couldn’t help spending the rest of the morning looking through the pages. Some he skimmed, others took him a half hour to turn the page as the pictures and descriptions on them prompted long and delightful stories from both Sirius and Remus. There were even some of their original plans preserved on the pages – many in his father’s handwriting.

When he got to the last page, there was a plain parchment envelope stuck to the back cover. Harry’s heart jumped when he saw the official ministry seal. He tore the envelope apart to get to the crisp, officially stamped parchment inside.

Certificate of Guardianship

_This is to certify that the legal guardianship of one Harry James Potter (b. July 31st, 1980) has been formally awarded to one Sirius Orion Black (b. November 3rd, 1959) and one Remus John Lupin (b. March 10th, 1960) on this day of July 25th, 1996 _

**_Anthony Mackellan_ **

Anthony Mackellan

Head of the Department of Child Welfare

Harry swallowed the lump in his throat as he looked across the table at the two of them.

“I hope you don't mind that I'm on there as well," Remus said softly. “We thought if you did have more than one guardian, there'd be much less chance of you having to go back to the Dursleys in case something happened."

“Or to put a less morbid spin on it," Sirius said. "I know bollocks about guardianship, and,”

But before he could finish he was cut off by the scrap of Harry's chair against the hardwood floor as Harry ran around the table and crashed into them before they'd even stood from their seats. He clutched the precious document carefully in his left hand.

He'd started to believe, as the summer wore on, that the Ministry would say no. Or that Dumbledore had convinced Sirius out of it with his continued insistence that Harry would be safer at the Durseley's home.

“I know it doesn't really matter,”Sirus said, “Since you really don't need guardianship at your age.”

“Don't care,”Harry said. “It matters.” He grinned. “This is the best, _thank you_.”

“Don't pronounce it the best just yet,” Sirius said. “There's still the party to get to.”

Party, harry thought an hour later when they port-keyed into the Weasley’s back garden, was putting it a bit lightly. Sirius and Alice Longbottom had taken to the task of a birthday party with a vigor not seen, Remus said, since the time both of them had been James and Lily’s wedding planners.

 _“I’ve blocked most of that from my momory_ ,” Remus had said last week right before as a heap of singing confetti rained down on him from the second floor, where Sirius had been “testing it.”

 _I wonder how extravagant they made the wedding if this is the birthday,_ Harry thought as he gaped at the Weasleys’ garden. Red and gold sparklers ringing the property all the way out to the orchard. On the property, five connected marquees, with their sides rolled up, spanned out from the Burrow. Glittering emerald and blue streamers sparkling down from the tops of them, and each Marquee had dancing ice sculptures and pyramids of sweets stationed in each corner. There was even a live band and, Harry blushed, in the largest marquee, two gold thrones with bright red upholstery, and on the seat of each an overly large red and gold crown with “Nearly Of Age” in flashing bold letters hovering over the tops.

“Gran usually just has a big dinner,” Neville squeaked when he arrived and nearly fell over at the sight.

“I _know it is a lot,”_ Alice Longbottom had stressed, beaming up at her son as she straightened his collar. “But considering Your father and I are owed fourteen of these – and Sirius and Remus too, you are overdue for spoiling.”

“And,” Sirius declared, crossing his arms. “We’ve only got one trial run before your seventeenth birthdays. We need to know we’ve got it right.”

“If this is the sixteenth,” Neville said as they both stood with a gleeful Ron and Ginny, eyeing the twin thrones from the far side of the Marquee. “I’m a little scared for the seventeenth.”

“Aw come on, mate,” Ron said, clapping Neville hard on the shoulder. “This is bloody brilliant – didja see the cakes?” those took up half a Marquee and had been built into a pyramid of every flavour of pastry and butter cream frosting that Harry could name, and more that he couldn’t. “Sirius and your mum can plan parties any time.”

“Let them get it out of their system,” Ginny advised. “You can probably reign them in a bit next year.”

“I don’t think anything can reign Sirius in,” Harry said, spying him across the garden helping Remus and Frank Longbottom set up the dance floor. Or rather, help by charming all the tiles to flash different colors as Remus and Frank created them.

“Well I’m not complaining,” Ginny said. “You do realize that’s the Weird Sisters. _The_ Weird Sisters, setting up outside my kitchen.”

The party got started within the half an hour, with lively pop anthems welcoming the guests. Each time someone arrived, another present flew into the central Marquee with the thrones, amassing into an ever growing pile of gifts. And they were soon overflowing from the marquee. It seemed like Sirius, Remus, and the Longbottoms had invited everyone they knew: Order members, classmates, and even some of their professors port-keyed into the garden. Even Fleur Delacour arrived as Bill Weasley’s date, and she left Harry dumbfounded and Ginny and Mrs. Weasley sour-faced when she greeted him with a kiss to each cheek.

Once Hermione’d arrived, and Luna, and half the D.A., it felt like a proper party. Harry played his first game of darts, and of pin the tail on the unicorn, which was made more difficult than the muggle game by the animated unicorn that ran around and would, on occasion, try to kick you in the face. Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna arrived, fresh from a mission it appeared, just after lunch. And they were just in time for the students to rope Haruka and Tonks into a massive game of Quidditch in the orchard while Michiru and Setsuna elected to remain on the dance floor far away from, as Michiru put it. “those uncomfortable, inelegant death traps.”

They came back from the pitch muddy and covered in grass stains. Neville was carried back between the twins after he’d tried his hand at chasing and injured his knee. He’d scored the winning goal by bowling into Ron and knocking the both of them through the central hoop, crashing them into a tree.

They’d no sooner come back and been _Scourgified_ by Mrs. Weasley than Neville and Harry were hustled by Alice Longbottom and Sirius into the central Marquee and up to the twin thrones, where the over-sized crowns were promptly settled on their heads.

“I’m sorry,” Frank Longbottom mouthed to his son from across the tent as he and Remus levitated the first presents over to them.

The gifts exceeded even the piles of presents that used to be stacked atop the Dursley’s dining table at Dudley’s birthday, and they were far more interesting that the kind Dudley used to break the week after he received them. Books, some, Harry guessed, they might need for class. Tons of plants for Neville and many Quidditch themed clothes for Harry, including the scarves of the gift-giver’s favorite teams which Ron said was “clearly abusing Harry’s celebrity” while also muttering about why he’d never thought to gift Harry a Canons’ scarf. The most curious gift, in Harry’s opinion, was the bright purple box from the Twins and Morgana Avery with the three, gold, intertwining Ws emblazed across the top.

“You’re gonna wanna open it later,” Fred said.

“That there’s a Weasley exclusive ahead of the grand opening,” George said.

“And we don’t want you leaking all of our secrets.”

Harry promptly put the box on top of the pile of opened gifts and happened to see Msr. Weasley behind the twins and Avery too, glaring daggers at Avery. Harry wondered if it had something to do with Fred’s arm around her waist.

Most of Neville’s gifts were plants, rare Harry guessed from the stunned look on Neville’s face. There was even a plant from Makoto that resembled a miniature tree and sent Neville nearly toppling from his chair. Harry himself got a box of sweets from her, and both of them got a stack of comic books from Usagi and Mina, a good luck charm from Rei, and a heavy book entitled _A Guide to the NEWTs_ from Ami that Harry decided he’d let Hermione steal.

By the time they got through the presents it was time for dinner, held out on the lawn as a picnic as the now melting ice sculptures glided across the garden serving courses and refilling glasses. The band played through the meal, so that the massive party of people could drift between eating and dancing as it caught their fancy.

Harry’d just worked up the nerve to ask Ginny to dance – after all she’d danced with nearly every other boy in attendance, when he heard someone shout.

In the center of the dance floor, Professor Meioh, Haruka, and Michiru had all frozen, causing several other guests to collide into the three of them. And as Harry watched, Setsuna conjured her Garnet Rod, a pink vortex opened overhead and she flew up into it, disappearing in a flash.

Haruka and Michiru had grasped hands, staring with pale, stricken faces up at the now empty sky.

“Is there an attack?” Sirius shouted from the edge of the dance floor.

“Where’d she go?” others were asking as they crowded in around Haruka and Michiru.

“What was that.”

Harry dashed away from the edge of the dance floor, elbowing his way through the crowd. He pushed through in time to see Haruka and Michiru rush up to Mcgonagall, who took the hat from her head and muttered something. She handed it to the two of them and they were gone, jerked through space by the Portkey.

Harry ran up to her. “What happened?”

Mcgonagall’s mouth was a tight line. “They’ve gone back to Grimmauld.” She said.

“Why, what happened?”

“I don’t know yet Mr. Potter.”

Behind her Harry saw something silver streak across the sky, soaring down to them. It was a phoenix patronus, Harry realized. It hovered a few feet from the ground and opened it’s beak.

“ _Order Meeting in a half hour,”_ Dumbledore’s voice announced. And then the phoenix closed its beak, disappearing in a rain of silver specs.

Nearby, Remus sighed. “Alright,” he said. “Let’s start sending everyone home.”

“What’s going on?” Neville said, pushing out of the crowd with Ginny, Ron, and Hermione at the head of a crowd of the D.A.

And as he spoke Harry felt a burning in his scar and grimaced, rubbing his hand across it. As it burned, he felt the intense emotions of another filling him as though they were his own.

Voldemort felt pleased. Harry curled his hand tightly around his wand.

“The party will have to end early, I’m afraid.” Remus sighed. “Sit tight,” he said. “We’ll have to activate the portkeys to send everyone home.”

“Isn’t the floo open?” Harry asked.

“B-blocked it for today,” Arthur Weasley said. “Safety precaution.”

“Then I need a portkey,” Harry said, looking between Mcgonagall and Remus. “I need to know what’s going on.”

Mcgonagall glanced at Remus, who sighed.

“Harry will be safer in Grimmauld,” he said.

“Fine,” Mcgonagall said, waving her wand. “But this Portkey is _only_ for the six of you.” She held out her hand and caught an aged leather shoe, tapping it once and handing it to Harry, who turned and let Neville, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Luna grab onto it too.

They were gone seconds later, their last sight of the Order members escorting the other party goers quickly and loudly to their portkeys.

And then they were in Grimmauld and Harry dropped the old shoe on the carpet, spinning around as he looked for Michiru and Haruka. They’d landed in the hallway, and Harry saw the coat rack at the end closest to the entry room knocked on the ground. He raced towards it, rushing towards the stairway and the front door in the entry room at the end of the hall.

He skidded to a halt right outside the entry room as the front door was pushed open. Haruka and Michiru were standing near the door and both of them dropped to their knees as a short blur of purple clothes and black hair threw herself at them.

Setsuna stepped through the front door as well, shutting and locking it. Haruka looked up at her, and sign something with her hand.

Setsuna shook her head, then covered her face and wrapped one arm around her middle as she leaned back against the door.

“Hotaru,” Luna whispered behind Harry. “Oh no.”

~ _I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good~_


	2. The Wizard in White

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We learn what happened to Hotaru Tomoe to prompt her rather abrupt arrival at Grimmauld Place, and there are misadventures while shopping for school supplies.
> 
>  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Happy 4th Americans. This marks the second year in a row I have written before/during a fireworks show. Last year I was writing Pax Lunae. And this will be the fourth fanfiction I’ve written since then so I’m kinda impressed with myself XD. You can also blame that holiday for the delay on this, though in my defence this chapter is as long as two. a link to the Senshi's OWL results will be along in Chapter 3.
> 
> Enjoy. Tissues are a prerequisite.
> 
> Disclaimer: Please refer to Chapter One
> 
>  

**The Wizard In White**

“And what are you reading this time?” Souichi Tomoe after knocking on the open door to Hotaru’s room.

“ _The Nature of Space and Time_ ,” Hotaru said from behind the hardcover book held close to her face. “Mama Suna says it gets more right than it does wrong.”

Her father chuckled. “And you’re going to take Ms. Meioh’s word over Hawking’s?”

“Yes.” Hotaru rolled her eyes. “She’s the Guardian of _Time_ , Papa.”

“As I’m well aware – but she’s barely got her doctorate, last I heard.”

Hotaru lowered the book enough to raise one eyebrow at him. “ _Eternal_. Guardian. Of Time.”

He shook his head, walking over and sitting down on her bed. “ _That_ I simply don’t believe,” He reached out for the lamp on the nightstand and pulled the cord, leaving only the fairy lights and the twin lamps on the desk to illuminate the room. “Time for bed.”

Hotaru sighed. “Okay,” and she tucked the butterfly bookmark into the page she’d left off on and set the book down on the nightstand. She took a good look at her father and frowned. “Why’re you wearing your coat?”

“Because it’s raining out,” he said, glancing out at the downpour pounding against the windows. “And I have to go into the office.”

“But it’s midnight!” Hotaru frowned.

“Which means the only people around to distract me will be the building security staff,” Souichi smiled. “I’ve just got a couple things to wrap up before the parents orientation tomorrow.” He smoothed her hair back. “I’ll be home before you wake up.”

Hotaru sighed. “Don’t stay up all night again,” she said. “It’s bad for you.”

He chuckled. “Of course, Doctor Tomoe,” he said. Hotaru giggled. He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Goodnight, Sweet Pea.” He stood up and glanced around. “Want any of these turned off?”

“No,” she yawned, settling back against her pillow. “But could you turn on the one by the door?”

“Of course.” He walked to door, switched on the large floor lamp, and stepped out into the hall. “Sweet dreams,” he said before clicking the door shut behind him.

Hotaru listened as he padded down the hall. Her eyes blinking heavily. She shook her head. She could probably read until he got home. She turned her bedside lamp back on and grabbed her book, re-opening it to the essay she’d left on.

She managed three more pages before the words began to blur, and before she began to doze. Her head jerked up every few seconds as she realized she’d fallen asleep and each time she would refocus on the words. It was more of a struggle each time to find the correct place.

She’d re-read the same paragraph on page 103 about seven times without recalling a word before she finally fell asleep with the book open on her chest.

And within a few minutes, her brows were furrowed and her mouth frowning.

Hotaru often dreamed. Though she was loathe to tell her father they were not the sweet dreams he hoped for her.

_She raised the Silence Glaive, excitement filling her as she levelled it at the figure kneeling at her feet with her arms spread wide. At last here was her mortal enemy, about to die by her hand. The blond’s pathetic magic wand was broken in two under her heel. She sneered at the blond in her dirty white leotard, the blue collar and yellow skirt of her uniform torn and burnt._

_Wait, Hotaru thought. She’s my friend…_

_“You’re pathetic, Sailor Moon,” her voice was too loud and low and scornful to be her own. Never the less it spoke from her own lips._

“ _Stop!_ ” _Hotaru tried to shout. But no sound passed her lips. She tightened her hands on the glaive and strained to move it, but her arms would not budge._

 _Sailor Moon looked up, tears gathering in her wide blue eyes. “Hotaru please – come back. I_ know _you’re in there.”_

“ _I am!_ ” _Hotaru tried to shout, but could not move her mouth or her limbs. She was trapped some how, in her own body. Which, she realized, had black painted nails grown too long to be hers and heavy black hair so long it curled on the floor._

_She trembled. It was not her voice speaking from her mouth._

_“I am Hotaru,” Mistress 9’s voice left her lips as Hotaru fought to gain control. But she could not speak, could not fight. Mistress 9 moved her limbs as though she were nothing more than a marionette with someone else jerking the strings._

_“AVADA KEDAVRA!” Mistress 9 whispered. Hotaru could not even scream. The green light rushed into Sailor Moon. She slumped over at Mistress 9’s feet, and when the green light had faded, she was pale, her happy blue eyes, vacant._

_Mistress 9 stepped over her, approaching the small person Sailor Moon had been kneeling in front of._

_“CHIBIUSA!” Hotaru sobbed as the glaive was levelled at Chibiusa’s chest. The green light of the killing curse engulfed her and she floated a few inches off the ground before falling limp at Hotaru’s feet._

_“No…” Hotaru could not even voice her protests, could not hear her own sobs as Mistress 9 carried on, walking down a dungeon hall like those that comprised Hogwarts’ lowest floors. As her too-high heels clacked against the stones she came up against more of her friends: her glaive killed her first-year friend Ida Keelan next, then Mercury, then Hermione and Ginny, and Mars as she dove in front of Venus. Mistress 9 killed Venus too, and Hotaru had barely processed it before the Silence Glaive had felled Jupiter, Lauren Babbage, and Ron Weasley as well._

_“Stop!” someone shouted. “Expelliarmus!”_

_The Silence Glaive wrenched itself free of Mistress 9’s grasp and flew into the outstretched hand of a familiar boy with bright green eyes, messy black hair, and a scar that matched her own._

_“Harry!” Finally! It was over. She couldn’t kill anymore._

_But even as her heart pounded in her chest, filled with relief, she felt the demon in control of her drag her arm up, her index finger pointed at Harry as he clutched the glaive close._

_“Avada Kedavra!”_

_The green light shot from her finger and hit Harry where his scar was. He crumbled to the floor. The Silence Glaive clattered out of his limp hand._

_When Hotaru looked up, she was not the only one in the dungeon._

_“Don’t…” she sobbed. “Please don’t.”_

_Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto stood in the middle of the cold hallway._

_“Don’t take a step further.” Uranus commanded._

_Hotaru screamed and fought against the force that made her raise her arm. “Don’t make me,” she watched, paralyzed, as her finger pointed at Uranus chest. “Papa…”_

_“We have to,” Neptune said, her face turned away. “That’s not Hotaru anymore.” She raised her arm high over her head. Behind her Uranus hand began to glow bright yellow. Pluto readied the Garnet Rod._

_“Deep Submerge!”_

_“World Shaking!”_

_“Dead Scream!”_

_“AVADA KEDAVRA!”_

_The maroon, yellow, blue, and green attacks met between the four of them and exploded, the light blinded Hotaru and forced her back. She was falling. The dungeon rushed away from her until it was little more than a pinprick of light overhead._

_She hurtled down into the dark, the nothingness rushing past. She was going to crash. She raised her arms, covered her head, and tucked her legs to her chest._

_“I can move!” she realized._

_At once the feeling of space rushing past vanished. Hotaru gasped. Her free fall stopped._

_Breathing hard, heart going so fast she could barely distinguish the individual beats, Hotaru uncurled her legs, lowered her arms from around her head, and stood up._

_She was still surrounded by blackness. There was no ground beneath her feet. She looked up. The pinprick of light from the dungeon was gone._

_“Am I still dreaming?” Her normal voice left her lips, and echoed back to her from the darkness. She crossed her arms over her chest and pinched one. The slight pain was as real as it would have been in the physical world. “Where am I?” she wondered._

_She spun around until she saw a light in the darkness, faint, small, and pink. She wanted to approach it and then she was. Space warped around her as she rushed towards it._

_The light came from a crystal: a small, pale pink gem, cut into a simple, eight faced prism. She knew these sorts. She’d become quite familiar with them last year. This was a star seed. She cupped it in her hands to shield it from the darkness. Its light felt familiar – it glowed with the same warmth as the arms that used to rock her when she was small, in this life, and in her last one._

_“Papa,” she smiled._

_“Sweet dreams,” his voice resonated from the star seed in her hands._

_I need to get it back to him, Hotaru thought. He surely needs this._

_Her father was in his office right now. On the 62 nd floor of the new Mugen Academy building. She could feel his fatigue. I told you: you need rest, she thought, intent on appearing to him there, in the office, and telling him so._

_As she tried to reach through the darkness around her though, a chill raced up her spine._

_“Avada Kedavra,” a high, girlish voice whispered. Her father’s star seed glowed bright green, and the light from it turned cold._

_When the green light winked out, all the natural pink light in the crystal had vanished along with it._

_“Papa?” She breathed, not quite believing that the now dark, hollow prism had just held all her father’s light. She reached for it. If she could hold it, she could find him. She could get it back._

_Her finger brushed against the cold crystal and a sharp crack echoed through the darkness. A splinter appeared on the crystal’s face. Then another. More splintered off from there. Her heart stuttered to a halt in her chest as the dead star seed shattered in her hands._

_“PAPA!”_

Hotaru jolted up in bed, threw her cold, sweat soaked covers away, and dashed to the open window. She leaned halfway out it and gasping in the too-warm summer air, fresh and cleansing after the late-night rain.

“Papa!” she shouted, and waited. But he did not reply. She peered down at the parking lot outside their building. His car was missing from his spot.

Her communicator said it was 3:35.

 _I told him not to stay out all night_ , she thought, climbing through her window and jumping out. She was Sailor Saturn before she hit the ground. The frantic clack of her boots on the pavement was the only sound save the occasional yowl of a cat or bark of an alert dog.

It took her ten minutes running through the streets and along the rooftops to make it to Mugen. She calmed a little when she saw the light on the 62nd floor.

Saturn ran right off the roof of a neighbouring building, using the butt of the Silence Glaive to vault higher up into the air. She landed on the roof of Mugen Academy, still running, and kicked in the door to the stairs so hard its hinges cracked. The whole door landed with a loud crash on the stairs. She jumped over it, rushing down the single flight to the 62nd floor and then left down the corridor of administrative offices.

Her father’s office door was open at the end. Light streamed out into the hall.

 _Why didn’t he come out?_ Her pace hastened to a sprint. _Surely he heard the crash._

She skidded through the doorway. Her heart stopped.

“Papa.” Her hand came up over her mouth.

His body was on the floor, pinned up against the front of the desk. His eyes were dull, staring towards her without attention or emotion. But she needed none of that physical evidence to know.

She could see, clearly, that there was no light shining within him.

She stumbled forwards. There was something on his shirt, a mark. And his arms and legs did not seem to be set right. There was something red staining his face, under his nose.

As she took another step, knees shaking, and the Glaive shaking along with her hands, a lavender light stopped her. Mama Suna’s black heels and billowing burgundy robes rushed through the Time Doors and blocked her way as the doors faded.

Saturn raised her arm to push her aside. “Let me go!” Saturn cried, her hand came up to push on Mama Suna’s shoulder, but she clutched the neck of her robes instead as a sob tore free of her.

“No,” Mama Suna tucked Sailor Saturn’s head under her chin and sank to the floor with her when her knees gave out. “Don’t look.” She whispered as she held Saturn. “You don’t need to see.”

“I… I need to save him!” Saturn cried, beating her hand against Setsuna’s shoulder. “I saved Sirius – I can save him!”

“It was very different circumstances,” Setsuna murmured, “He’s gone,” she said, clutching Saturn closer as her sobs broke out in earnest. “I’m sorry: he’s gone.”

She held Saturn as her transformation gave way, leaving only Hotaru in her nightclothes, so much smaller than in her senshi form. Setsuna pressed Hotaru closer, pulling her cloak around her so she would not accidentally see. Then she turned and looked at the body.

Souichi Tomoe had not gone quickly. She knew that as surely as she knew the blood on his face had been from a nosebleed, and that his arms and legs had been fractured – his left leg in two places. Seared into his shirt with the precision of a Wix wand, was a skull, a snake protruding from its mouth. The whole thing was green and still smoking faintly.

Setsuna vanished the Dark Mark with a wave of her rowan wand, and Souichi injuries as well. B _etter to make it look like a heart attack,_ she concluded. _He has had problems with blood pressure in the past._

Only when he looked neater, and was laid out more naturally on the floor, did she allow Hotaru to look.

Her daughter scrambled from her arms, kneeling close to Souichi’s too-pale face and putting her hand over his cheek.

“Papa,” she cried. “Papa…”

Setsuna knelt behind her, resting a steady hand on her back as she swallowed the lump in her throat.

It was some time before Hotaru’s hands fell back to her side. She bowed her head. “Do we need to leave?”

“We need you to be somewhere safe, yes.” Setsuna murmured. “I’m sorry.”

Hotaru nodded stiffly, retreating into her arms. “Where’s Mama and Papa-Haruka?”

“We’re going to them,” Setsuna whispered. She had already opened the Time Doors behind them. “We’re going to them right now.”

She led Hotaru into the Time Dimension and right through the door of Grimmauld Place where it was still evening on July 31st. She pushed open the door of the house and Hotaru threw herself Haruka and Michiru. Haruka looked up and gestured to Setsuna: _her father okay?_

The lump in Setsuna’s throat that had been present since the birthday party seemed instantly heavier, and her eyes stung with tears. She shook her head, leaning back against the hard front door and wishing it were appropriate to slide down it and cry as Hotaru did.

It had been meant to be a wonderful day. Hotaru’s father should have finished work at 3.00. He should have been home when she woke up and should have taken her to the park. They should have planned out the camping trip they were meant to take the week before Mugen Academy opened. The Death Eaters should not have been there; she’d foreseen them roaming the magical lands far, far north of Tokyo…

_How did I let this happen?_

~ _SMH_ ~

In the minutes after Setsuna and Hotaru’s arrival, Haruka and Michiru’d whisked Hotaru away while Setsuna informed the six students, and then the Order when they’d arrived, of what had happened. Mrs. Weasley’s sniffling and repetitions of “that poor dear,” were all Harry and his friends could hear of that meeting through the extendible ear.

When the adults meeting had concluded, Alice and Frank Longbottom were the first members to leave the kitchen, calling for Neville. Harry and the others followed him down the stairs to meet them and were just in time to see Alice crush him to her, her hands trembling and her face quite pale.

“Why don’t I escort the three of you home,” Remus offered in a voice low enough that only the teenagers clustered together on the stairs could hear. The other members of the Order were still slowly and silently making their way out of the kitchen.

Frank shook his head. “That isn’t necessary,”

“We can’t let every little thing scare the wits out of us, now can we,” Alice added. “But thank you,” she glanced at all of them. “If you could let us know though when they’re going to get the school supplies…”

“Of course.” Remus murmured.

“Come on, Mum.” Neville said. He’d grown taller than her over the summer, tall enough to put his arm around her thin shoulders. “I bet Gran’s got your favorite tea,” he waved to the others. “S-see you.”

“It was Bellatrix Lestrange,” Remus murmured. “Setsuna showed us her memories…” he shook his head, “Lestrange’s handiwork’s easy to pick out even if you’ve only seen it once.”

Harry swallowed hard.

“Did Hotaru see?” Hermione worried.

“I expect so,” Remus whispered. “Ron, Ginny: I’ve a feeling Molly will want to take you home. Hermione, Luna: you’re welcome to stay the night.”

“Thank you Professor Lupin,” Luna said. Hermione only nodded. Harry and Ron both frowned as she continued to stare towards her feet, fists clenched as she worried her lip between her teeth. Ron, next to her, put his arm around her waist and she turned into him, leaning her head on his shoulder.

“And I think we could all use some chocolate,” Remus said, beckoning them all towards the now vacated kitchen. He stopped them in the hallway though, frowning, “Actually, why don’t you all go to the den,” he said. “I’ll bring the chocolate.”

Harry frowned as Remus carried on to the kitchen and looked at Ginny. She’d closed her eyes and put a hand to her ear.

“What?” Harry asked once Remus had slipped through the kitchen door.

“Setsuna and Dumbledore are still there,” Ginny whispered. “They’re…arguing.”

“You can hear them from here?” Ron marvelled. The extent to which Ginny’s transformation had enhanced her abilities was still surprising even to her.

“Is it about Hotaru?” Hermione asked.

“No… come on,” Ginny whispered, seeing several Order members lingering in the hall and throughout the floor. She led them up a level, to the den, which had recently been cleared of the last few pixie nests.

Hermione cast a silencing spell on the door and Ginny plopped down in the high-backed, black armchair closest too it.

“It was about the Order,” Ginny said. “Setsuna wants to go after Lestrange, and the rest. Hunt them down. Dumbledore says it’s too dangerous,” she scowled. “And, apparently not why the Order’s here.”

“What else is the Order for then?” Harry exploded. “They protect people don’t they,” he began to pace the floor as Hermione and Ron hovered near the door and Luna perched herself on Ginny’s armchair. “Aren’t they meant to stop the Death Eaters?”

“They do… I mean in the first war they did,” Ron said. “But they were a lot bigger then. They had more Aurors. Dad says Mum’s brothers used to hunt for the Death Eaters all the time before they could attack… but they had like… a hundred and fifty members then.”

“Not all of the Order are trained to fight, Harry,” Hermione reminded him. “Dumbledore probably doesn’t want to put them in harm’s way.”

“But _everyone’s_ in harms way with the Death Eaters,” Harry said. “And the Ministry’s doing shit about it…” he rubbed his scar and took a deep breath, trying to get his anger under control. He hated that he could still feel how pleased Voldemort was by the turn of events. Harry’d rather not add to that by letting Voldemort feel his anger if he could help it. “Hotaru wrote me a few days ago… she reckons there’s Death Eaters inside the ministry pulling the strings.”

“There are,” Ron confirmed. “Or at least sympathizers – you should hear some of the crap Dad hears at work.” He swallowed. “There’s lots of people still downplaying it all… they want to think Voldemort’s just a lone wolf. They’re still afraid a’course… but there’s lots who refuse to believe he’s still got followers. I mean there’s loads who still think Mr. Malfoy got framed at the Department of Mysteries.”

Harry looked out the Den window at the heavy rain illuminated by the street lamps. “If the Order’s not going to face him, who is?”

When Remus brought them the chocolate, Harry barely tasted it. They all drank it in silence. It wasn’t long before Mrs. Weasley came to usher Ron and Ginny away. Ron hesitated, looked between Hermione and Harry, and then gave them all a weak wave as he left. Ginny hugged Luna, and Hermione, and Harry last and longest. “I hope it was still a happy birthday,” she whispered before pulling away.

When he, Luna, and Hermione, made their way up to their rooms, Harry stopped on the third floor, and stood outside Haruka and Michiru’s door. He could hear them whispering, but not a sound came from Hotaru…at least she was sleeping, Harry thought. After Cedric’s death, he hadn’t slept a wink.

In the three days between Hotaru’s arrival and her father’s funeral, Harry barely saw her. She didn’t emerge from Haruka and Michiru’s room until evening on Thursday, long after Hermione and Luna had gone home. And not even his booklist and the Captain’s badge that accompanied it drew Harry’s attention away from worrying about her. When she did venture out, he found her in the kitchen when he wandered in for a snack. She was sitting on one of the stools, moving the leftovers from dinner around with her fork.

He saw the aqua-and-dark-blue striped snake animagus coiled up by the refrigerator, keeping a close eye on Hotaru without the girl being able to see her. _Maybe Hotaru wanted to be alone?_ Harry thought.

Harry wanted to say something. Though he wasn’t sure what. “Sorry your dad was murdered – so were my parents,” sounded like a lame opener even with his track record.

Instead he snagged one of the remaining slices of birthday cake out of the fridge, debated for a few moments, and then topped it with a scoop of ice cream.

He set it down in front of Hotaru and grabbed his own snack off the table – cookies Mrs. Weasley had left because she didn’t believe anyone in Grimmauld could cook.

Hotaru blinked, looking between the cake and him and back as if coming out of a daze. “Thanks,” she whispered.

“Any time,” Harry said. “Er…I’m sorry.”

Hotaru shrugged. “They hadn’t put wards on Mugen,” she said. “They said the kinds of things that work for houses don’t work on public buildings.”

“I guess not,” Harry sighed. “Are the others’ parents okay?”

Hotaru nodded. “Mama says they’ve got aurors tailing them now.” She sighed. “So that’s… good.”

Harry nodded. “Um,” he clenched his fist. “I can’t say I understand exactly…Voldemort killed my parents when I was little. I feel sad sometimes…and angry…but it’s nothing like what you are, I bet.” He broke one of the cookies in half. “Last year though…Voldemort killed a friend of mine in front of me: Cedric Diggory.” He swallowed. “There wasn’t any reason... he was just there”

Hotaru sighed. “I think there was a reason.” She slumped closer to the table. “The Death Eaters aren’t supposed to know who we are.”

“Cause you’re glamoured.”

“Right. They only know about Mamas and Papa because Umbitch found them out.” She bit her lip. “But anyone’d recognize my glaive… or maybe someone told the Death Eaters who I was.” She looked towards him. “Maybe they wanted to know more about me… and went after Papa.”

Harry nodded. “That sounds like something Voldemort would do.”

“It isn’t fair.” Hotaru stabbed her spoon into the cake hard enough to split it in half. Harry gulped when he saw the purple symbol glowing on her forehead. “Papa doesn’t… didn’t know anything about this.”

The snake animagus had raised her head, looking closely at the two of them. Harry reached out and put a hand on Hotaru’s shoulder. “It isn’t fair,” he agreed. “We’re…we’re gonna make them pay for this.”

“I’ll drag them to hell along with me,” Hotaru said without a hint of jest. “It won’t be the first time.”

“Right… uh,” Harry stammered. “Well, you won’t be alone. After all – I’m the Chosen One, or whatever.”

Hotaru looked over at him, her eyes went to his forehead. “Cause of your scar,” she said. “And the darkness in it.”

Harry frowned. “My… connection to Voldemort?”

“Yes – that’s probably the darkness in your scar.” she touched her fingers to her own. “It’s different than mine.”

Harry stared at her. “Do you dream of him?”

“No,” Hotaru whispered.

“Or…or feel his emotions… your scar doesn’t _hurt_?”

“No,” Hotaru tapped the lightning bolt over her sternum. “Maybe something different happened the night he attacked you – to do with the prophecy,” Hotaru said. “Mine’s just… a normal scar.”

Harry kept going over Hotaru’s words repeatedly in his head that week. He didn’t discuss them with anyone. Not even Dumbledore when he stopped by Grimmauld. Did Dumbledore know? Had he lied when he said he’d told Harry everything? Part of him wondered if he should ask Professor Meioh. After all, Harry had the feeling Professor Meioh knew a great deal more things than she ever divulged. And she had been arguing with Dumbledore, which intrigued Harry. No one in the Order had ever questioned Hogwarts’ Headmaster.

But he did not get the chance to ask her about his scar. Because, while he saw little of Hotaru in the days leading up to the funeral, he saw Professor Meioh even less. She seemed to appear and disappear from Grimmauld Place only when no one else was present, or to say goodnight to Hotaru. She was never around for longer than it took to hold an Order meeting.

The day of the funeral, Setsuna was in the kitchen when all of them woke up, hours early to account for the time difference in Japan. When Harry stumbled down the stairs intent on seeing Hotaru off, Professor Meioh was already making what Harry was sure were all of Hotaru’s favorite foods.

At the end of breakfast, Professor Meioh glamoured herself, taking on the guise of a social worker. Haruka disillusioned herself, and Michiru took on her animagus form. Hotaru even smiled as the thin, three foot snake coiled around her neck. The sight unnerved Harry even if he knew it was really Michiru. Setsuna conjured a scarf to hide the snake and then summoned her time doors.

They were gone until 11:00, and in the time they were, number 12 Grimmauld Place saw one more surprise. Shortly after 10:00, Harry glanced up from _The Compendium of Mischief_ when Mrs. Black’s portrait began screaming “ _FILTHY MUD-BLOODS IN MY HOME!”_ Padfoot sprinted out of the library ahead of Harry.

He rushed into the hall and was met by Hermione, with a backpack on her shoulders and Sirius levitating her trunk behind her. Harry frowned. He thought she’d been planning to come stay only the week before term.

“My parents and I just thought,” she said, tucking her hair behind her ear. “With everything going on… it mightn’t be the best idea – so they’re off to Australia for a while. They’re going to have a nice holiday.”

“Well you’re always welcome here Hermione,” Sirius said. “Be nice to have a kid around who doesn’t spend all day brooding – Hotaru’s got a good excuse, but this one,” he grinned at Harry. “You’d think you were living with Snivellus some days kid.”

Harry flushed. “Are you admitting that you’re similar?” he asked his godfather, pointedly looking at his hair. “I guess I can see the resemblance.”

“Oh!” Sirius smacked his hand over his heart. “I will have you know I wash these locks _daily_. _Snivy_ hasn’t washed since the last time I dunked him in the lake.” He looked expectantly between the both of them, but Harry and Hermione had barely cracked a smile. Sirius sighed. “Alright I know it has been a shit week,” he told the two of them. “But you’ve _got_ to find some laughs somewhere,” he insisted. “Bit of advice from someone who spent 12 years with dementors for dorm-mates: if you don’t find some way to laugh, the Death Eaters will win this war before it’s even started.” He clapped both of them on the shoulders. “So find your smiles – Hotaru’d do well to see some.” He checked his watch. “And if you could stay out of the kitchen for the next two hours, I’ve got,”

“Order stuff,” Harry sighed. “No problem, we’ll be in the library.”

Hermione rambled the entire way across the ground floor. “They’ve always wanted to visit, Australia,” she was saying as she tucked her hair behind her ear. Harry saw something affixed to her bare arm – a brand new wand holster. “I mean do you think it was a good idea? It’s a good hiding place, surely.”

“Erm, yeah.” Harry asked. “Was it your idea?”

“Yes,” Hermione cleared her throat. “You know I read Australia has a lot of restrictions on magical travel. Hard for the Death Eaters to get to.”

Harry nodded, still distracted by the holster on her arm. “Where’d you get that? He pointed. “Hang on,” he leaned closer to see. “That isn’t your wand.”

“Um, no,” Hermione said. “I… actually I bought it in Diagon two days ago. It’s not Ollivanders,” she cleared her throat. “It’s from…uh… Aldermaston’s.”

“I’ve never seen that one.”

“It’s on Knockturn,” Hermione said. “It’s not dark!” she assured him. “But it doesn’t register to the trace they put on under 17s, which Ollivanders do.” She slipped the wand out of the holster and sent green sparks shooting into the air. “I thought it’d be good to have… for security, you know.”

“The ministry couldn’t expel you for defending yourself,” Harry scoffed. “I mean… I guess they might try, but they’d never get the case through.”

“Well it’s not just for if I’m attacked,” Hermione said. “There’s other uses for it.” She looked at her feet. “I know I’ll be seventeen in a month,” she said. “But I couldn’t wait until then.”

“I hear you,” Harry said. “By the way… we should talk.”

“Oh?”

“I need to tell you something Hotaru said about my scar,” Harry whispered as they moved to the armchairs at the back of the library.

~ _SMH_ ~

Hermione and Harry moved to the staircase once Order members had arrived for briefings. They tried to listen in, but Crookshanks ate their extendible ear, so resorted to a game of Exploding Snap in the library instead. Hotaru and her parents returned just as the Order briefins were finishing up and Hotaru curled up in the free armchair in the library with them. They dealt her into the game without any fuss. She even properly laughed for the first time in three days. Though, upon realizing it, her mood became even more sullen.

The Order briefings brought more bad news with them: Remus had an assignment, a long-term one that they’d been able to push back until after Harry’s party.

“But given everything that’s going on,” Remus said. “Dumbledore and I both agree it’s high time I get to it.”

Officially, Remus couldn’t tell them what he was doing. Unofficially, Sirius told them anyway: seeking out the werewolves around Britain – those who lived in groups and those who lived alone. They’d been heavily disenfranchised by the current ministry, and there was growing worry that more of them would side with Voldemort than before.

“And some of them know Greyback,” Remus said, clenching his fist involuntarily. “Who is a werewolf we’d all feel a lot better for keeping tabs on.”

Remus wasn’t the only resident of Grimmauld to leave that night either as Harry learned first hand when he’d realized, after brushing his teeth, that he’d left _The Compendium of Mischief_ in the library. He’d been making his way down the stairs when he heard the argument break out in the entrance hall.

“ _What do you mean you’re going?”_ Haruka whispered harshly. And Harry leaned over the banister to see the floor below. Haruka was leaning against the front door with her arms crossed, glaring at Professor Meioh, who was staring resolutely at the floor.

“It’s the best thing,” Meioh whispered. Harry strained to hear her. “This way Hotaru can take my room. And she can be close to the two of you and still have her own space, if she wants it.”

“There’s plenty of room in this house!” Haruka said much more loudly. “She needs _you_ too. Fucking hell, Setsuna,”

“She goes to the two of you when she’s scared,”

“Only because you’re never in your room,” Haruka fired back. “Are you _trying_ to ignore her – because that’s sure as hell what it seems like.”

“Don’t,” Setsuna pleaded, shaking her head. “Haruka… Tell her I’m not,”

Harry saw her reach for the door handle and Haruka move to grab her hand.

“Please.”

“No,” Haruka argued. And she stepped closer to Setsuna, cupping her face and turning it towards hers. “Suna… this wasn’t your fault. We all know that. Hotaru _knows_ that.”

“Maybe so,” Setsuna said. She stepped away from Haruka and crossed her arms. “But it was still preventable.” She shook her head “Wix spaces are nearly as clear as mundane ones to me now. And Souichi wasn’t meant to die yet. But I didn’t see it. And until I find out why, I can’t stay here.”

“Suna,” Haruka pleaded, stepping towards her again.

“Tell Michiru where I’ve gone. Tell Hotaru…” she sighed. “I’ll see her soon.”

“Suna, I’m not letting you just,”

_Pop._

In the blink of an eye, Setsuna had disapparated from the entrance hall. Haruka growled and punched the wall, causing Mrs. Black’s covered portrait to begin shrieking.

“ _SHUT UP!_ ” Haruka shouted at the sheet covering the canvas. “Less you want the sword to the face, you old hag.”

It was a testament to what sense Mrs. Black’s portrait still had that she was silent right way. Haruka sighed and banged her head against the wall.

“I hate magic.”

~ _SMH_ ~

_August 8 th_

_Dear Mina,_

_Grimmauld is fine. You’d never believe how quiet it is even with so many people in and out every day._

_I wish I could tell you about the Order meetings… unfortunately Crookshanks has eaten my extendible ear and Mrs. Weasley has confiscated Ron and Ginny’s. Poor Crookshanks even got scared by the extendible eye and shredded it. I guess I don’t blame him; it was horrid looking. So the Order meetings are bared to us. And even Sirius will only say so much. Fred and George tell us the most when ever they’re here, which isn’t so often now. I think it’s something to do with Mrs. Weasley. Fred hasn’t been coming by at all. And we saw George arguing with his mother. Something about Fleur and Morgana. Ron’s decided if this is how she reacts to girls, he’s never dating anyone (I think he’s kidding…)_

_Hotaru is fine. Quiet, but fine. I don’t think she knows entirely how she wants to feel. Sometimes she doesn’t want to leave Haruka or Michiru’s side, but often she doesn’t want to be around anyone. She and Harry are sort of alike in that way._

_We’re going to get our books at the end of the week. I’m only too relieved. I think everyone needs to get out. Sirius has been quite edgy with Remus away, and really the only bits of the outside world that get to Grimmauld are the Order’s stories and The Prophet. Which, as you can see in these articles, is still publishing a load of drivel. Four muggleborns (ministry employees no less) disappear on their way home from work and it’s only a coincidence. Oh, but heaven forbid a pureblood be bared from his Gringotts account for hours on end – then the goblins must have something nefarious afoot._

_I’m doing fine. I sent my parents away… and I erased their memories so they won’t accidentally reveal their connection to me. Don’t tell Ron and Harry. I don’t want them worry about me. But I needed to tell someone._

_I’m looking forward to Hogwarts more than ever now. At least there I can learn…I can feel like I’m doing something instead of sitting around here watching everyone else getting hurt._

_Harry and Hotaru are going a little stir crazy now. Even Sirius and Haruka and Michiru get to go out on missions. But not us. I’m not as offended about it as the two of them seem to be… Or maybe I’m just less confident. I still get nightmares about the Department of Mysteries._

_But back to what you asked about: They’re all fine. Though Setsuna hasn’t been around the past few days. Harry says she blames herself for Dr. Tomoe. And other than sulking about that, Haruka and Michiru are fine too. They’ve been running a lot more missions with Tonks and some of the new members since Remus has left and Sirius is often the one home with us. I’m not sure if he’s elected to do it or if he’s been assigned to watch us, but Harry’s taken notice. You can guess how he feels about being babysat (Hotaru too for that matter)._

_Hope all is well. See you in two weeks._

_~H.J.G._

Minerva’s boots clacked sharply on the stone floor of the North Wing as she approached the open door of the Muggle Studies classroom. She barged straight in and made a beeline for the office door, also wide open on the other side of the classroom.

Setsuna was passed out on her desk, a full, cold cup of tea sat neatly on its saucer on the edge.

“ _Rennervate_ ” Minerva said brusquely. Setsuna gasped, shooting up at her desk and making the tea rattle on its saucer.

“Sorry,” she muttered, rubbing her forehead. “Have I missed a staff meeting?”

“Hardly,” Minerva raised an eyebrow at her, her mouth a thin line. “Most of the staff are still on their holidays. In fact. I was surprised to learn you were even here. So it’s good that Severus brought it to my attention.” She tapped her wand against her arm. “I generally find you to be a rather competent, sensible person. So I’m going to give you the chance to explain why you are here when, by all rights, you should be enjoying the summer with your family. _Especially_ your daughter.”

Setsuna sighed, leaning back in her chair and rubbing her forehead again. “I have important things to do.”

“Try again,” Minerva said.

Setsuna looked away and it was a few long, silent minutes before she spoke. “I can’t look at her,” she confessed. “Dr. Tomoe should have, in every future, had at least 30 more years with her. He’s dead. And I can’t for the life of me see _how_ I let it happen.”

“I was under the impression time carried on whether we wanted it to or not,” Minerva said. “Unless you’ve been holding out on us.”

Setsuna shrugged. “If it would do any good, I would,” She said. And only staunch years of stoicism kept Minerva’s jaw from dropping. “But traveling back would cause the most dreadful of paradoxes and I wouldn’t be able to hold time long enough to save him.” She sighed. “It’s not fair.”

“War has never been fair, a fact I’m sure you’re aware of already,” Minerva said. “And I’m sure even you can accept that sometimes there are events which are out of our control.”

Setsuna nodded, reaching out for her cold tea and making a face at the taste. She set it aside. “But this I should have seen,” She said. “And until I learn why, I won’t know what else I’m missing.” She sighed. “And I’ve had no luck on that front.”

Minerva nodded. “It seems to me then, that you’ll have no more luck uncovering the problem here than you will at Grimmauld. And since we’ve just established that blaming yourself for this is ridiculous, I stand by what I said.” She levelled her sternest look at Setsuna. “Go. Home.”

Setsuna turned away from Minerva, looking at the single photo she kept on her desk, charmed so that no others could see the people in it.

It was from Hotaru’s birthday: the three of them were clustered around the blue-frosted birthday cake covered in star and crescent shaped candles, and Hotaru was between the three of them beaming from ear to ear. It had been a birthday where even Setsuna hadn’t been sure what number to put on the cake. But it had been January sixth, and Hotaru had certainly grown enough for it to be commemorative, having grown from an infant into a toddler in barely a few months. So they’d frosted the cake dark blue like the night sky and covered it in star and moon candles. They’d blown them out for her. She’d been too excited to do it herself. And Hotaru’d liked the cake so much she’d taken a giant handful and smashed it all over Haruka’s face.

“They’re everything to me,” Setsuna whispered. “They gave me a home when I hardly knew what it was like to have one. They gave me a family… something that I can’t bear to leave even now or else I’d just stay behind the doors. And now I have this,” she gestured to a thick roll of parchment on her desk – the names of the students in each of her classes. “I’ve come here playing character, as I have in the past, and come to find out I enjoy living that character’s life so much I’d rather not return to mine.” An abrupt, weak laugh escaped her. “I have everything Professor Meioh could ever want, and everything Setsuna Meioh could ever want, and none of those are things Pluto is permitted to have.”

Minerva frowned at Setsuna who’d rubbed her palm over her forehead again. “I’m afraid I don’t follow.”

“It’s alright, I’m not explaining well.” Setsuna leaned over her desk and steepled her fingers together. “I have a duty: One which allows me to keep close watch over the intricacies of time, and one which I have been shirking, because I enjoy what I have here so much.” She picked up her family photograph. “It’s easier, when I can convince myself that my powers serve some purpose to those here.” She set the photograph face down. “So perhaps I had no control over this… but it still means my powers have failed them. And I have to find a way to make sure that doesn’t happen again. Or else I cannot justify shirking my duty, and I may have to admit that by doing so, I am letting them down.”

Setsuna stared at the face down photo on her desk, one hand still resting on the frame.

“Yes well – don’t count your win before the snitch is caught,” Minerva said after a few moments. “And you’re required to stay the year anyway – I am not relinquishing all of Divination to Sybil again, and if you force us to find a new Muggle Studies professor at this stage, I will transfigure you into a clock, and it will be the envy of any normal clock – since you have such a pension for always knowing the precise time.”

Setsuna cracked a slight smile. “Not to worry – I won’t leave, at least not before the Christmas Holidays…I still have a suspicion that the reason I missed Lestrange’s intentions might have a magical explanation. And I do need to uncover what that is to ensure it does not continue to meddle with time.”

“Good,” Minerva nodded, rising from the desk. “Then you can research that just as well at Grimmauld as you can here: Go. Home.”

“I said.”

“You said you feel guilty, I’ve heard you out. I still think you’re being ridiculous,” Minerva said. “As Haruka and Michiru surely will as well.”

Setsuna sighed. “As soon as I uncover _why_ I let this happen.” She reached into her desk, pulling out a muggle pen and a mess of parchment covered in her small, delicate writing.

“I’m not going to sway you are I?” Minerva said.

“I need to find the solution first,” Setsuna maintained.

Minerva, shook her head. “Well good luck to you.” She made to leave the office and lingered in the doorway. “If the route by which Lestrange bypassed you is magical, you won’t find it in any of Hogwarts tomes. She dabbles exclusively in the Dark Arts.” Minerva thought for a moment. “I’ll put in a request to Durmstrang’s library. You might find some relevant spells in their tomes.”

“Thank you,” Setsuna said, already bent over her desk again with her head in her hand. Her pen was scribbling furiously across parchment before Minerva’d shut the office door.

~ _SMH_ ~

_He sat up straighter in his ornate chair as the great, black and silver doors across the room were pushed inwards. At last, she’d returned. His most loyal servant sauntered through, high heels clacking sharply against the hardwood floor._

_“My delightful Bella,” he hissed, holding out his foot as she knelt by his feet. She gasped her high, girlish laugh that echoed through the chamber and kissed the polished toe of his shoe._

_“My lord,” she crooned. “My lord I have done it – I have brought him,”_

_“Excellent,” he directed his eyes towards the doors, beckoning with his hand at the wizard who waited there. At last. At last._

_“Your information has proved invaluable to our efforts,” he hissed. “Who is it who has proven to be more an ally than even my most faithful?”_

_The man in strangely cut white robes brought his hands to the hood of his white cloak, chuckling low as he pushed it back._

Harry shouted, clutching his scar and tumbling out of bed. He hissed as it continued to burn.

He had rarely felt Voldemort so _pleased_.

Swallowing back bile, he stumbled to his feet and found his glasses on the nightstand. It was still dark outside. Harry kept his hand pressed over his scar as he hastened to the door. He needed to get that dream back, he decided, making his way down to the drawing room and its fireplace.

By the time Hermione found him though, he had found nothing. He told her about the dream as they made their way down to the kitchen for breakfast.

“You should tell Sirius and Dumbledore,” she said, but Harry shook his head. “Why not?”

“What am I gonna tell them,” he muttered back. “Voldemort’s met a non-Death Eater he likes? It’s nothing useful.”

At least not yet. Harry rubbed his hand over his eyes, scrapping away the crust that had gathered around his eyelids. He cursed himself for trying to see more rather than getting more sleep. Why couldn't he have dreamed on a day they weren’t going to be busy outside of Grimmauld?

It was finally August 13th: the day they’d decided to finally get the Hogwarts shopping done. Professor Meioh arrived after breakfast (dressed as Sirius had suggested all of them do in proper wizarding robes and a cloak) to escort them all to Diagon. “I believe extra security will be meeting us there, as are the Weasleys.”

Harry’s shoulders slumped as the large group walked through the Time Doors and they opened onto an empty bedroom in the Leaky Cauldron. Harry didn’t fancy doing all his school shopping with a contingent of Aurors ushering him between shops. They had the three senshi after all, and Sirius. Surely that was conspicuous enough.

When they met Ginny, Ron, Arthur, and Molly at the bottom of the stairs though, it was not aurors who awaited them.

“Hagrid!” Harry grinned, running up to him as Hagrid hugged he and Hermione.

“This is Dumbledore’s idea of security?” Haruka murmured to Michiru and Setsuna.

“If he means for him to be a shield,” Michiru answered. “I’ve a better idea.” And she took her snake form, slithering up to Hotaru, who picked her up and let her coil around her neck, hidden by her cloak.

“Harry,” Mr. Weasley said. “This is from Bill,” and he passed Harry a sizeable bag with the Gringotts logo on the side. “Thought you’d rather not want to wait in the lines – Gringotts has upped Security lately.”

“Actually,” Ron snickered. “He said you’d rather not get one of their probes shoved up your,”

“ _RONALD!”_ Mrs. Weasley glared.

“Well that’s what he said!”

“Well, anyways,” Mrs. Weasley looked at the other adults. “I’ve a feeling we should get their books first. Then the robes.”

“Actually,” Haruka said. “I was thinking we could split up.”

“But,”

“It will take longer if we’re all together,” she said.

“And it will take an hour as it is to get their robes fitted,” Setsuna added.

“I like that plan!” Ron said. “Mum, you and Dad could get all our books and stuff – and then we could meet you at Fred and George’s.”

“I… but it would be safer,”

“Ah, don’t worry Molly,” Hagrid grinned. “I’ll be with’em!”

“And we’ll be with them as well,” Haruka said. “Seeing as they’re going to draw attention anyways,” she said, with a pointed look at Hagrid.

“Al… alright,” Molly said. “ _Don’t_ wander off,” she told all the teenagers as they moved out into the alley.

“You should go with them,” Harry told Sirius, who frowned at him. “No, really. They’re not aurors.”

“He’s right,” Haruka told Sirius. “And we shouldn’t have all of us with one group.”

Sirius sighed. “Fine.” And he transformed into Padfoot, bounding off after the two Weasleys.

Hagrid kept up a light conversation with Harry and his friends as they walked: about the creatures he had planned for the NEWT class (and both Harry and Ron traded sheepish looks rather than admit they wouldn’t be continuing). And behind them, Haruka and Setsuna walked on either side of Hotaru.

“Haruka it’s hot out,” Hotaru exclaimed and Harry looked back, frowning. Hotaru never called her parents by their names.

Haruka, it seemed, had pulled the hood of Hotaru’s cloak over her head.

“Well good that will keep your head cool,” Haruka countered. She was looking away from Hotaru, so that she wouldn’t see the pained frown on Haruka’s face

Harry turned around, trying to look casual as he pulled his own hood over his head, then elbowed Ron, and managed (with what he’d hoped was subtly but was probably the glaring opposite) to get him to do the same.

They weren’t the only shoppers on the high street over dressed for summer either. One woman even had a fur scarf wrapped completely around the lower half of her face.

When they reached Mme. Malkims, Hagrid stood as a guard outside the door and Haruka disappeared. She met them an hour later as they were leaving the shop with a distinctive looking, long, paper-wrapped package in her hand.

“ _You got me a broom!_ ” Hotaru exclaimed, shoving her new robes at Setsuna and dashing up to Haruka.

“Yep, you can open it at home or,” but Hotaru was already tearing into the paper. Haruka chuckled “Now’s good.”

“Wow…” Hotaru whispered as all the students and Hagrid gathered around to see.

“That ain’t no Nimbus,” said Hagrid.

It certainly wasn’t. The broom was slimmer, with a gleaming black handle and grey bristles trimmed into a spiral. Bright white sparks snapped across them when Hotaru ran her fingers over the bristles.

“It’s a Nagareboshi,” Haruka said. “Shooting Star to you all,” she ruffled Hotaru’s hair. “Had Quality Quidditch special order it for me. They claim it dives like a dream.”

“They claim that as an attribute?” Setsuna muttered. And the snake around Hotaru’s neck rose up and glared at Haruka.

“Hey – I agreed never to buy her a motorbike didn’t I?” said Haruka as they walked. “Sides, it’s safe.”

“Who cares about that,” Ron said, gaping at the sparks that appeared when he touched the bristles. “How fast does it go?”

“Ehhh,” Haruka glanced nervously at Setsuna and the snake animagus. “Decently fast.”

“I love it,” Hotaru said, beaming up at Haruka. “Thank you,”

“Well I wasn’t gonna let you try for Ravenclaw on a school broom, now was I?”

“Hotaru, can I hold it?” Ron asked, grinning as she passed it to him. “Blimey, it’s light. What’d they make it with? How’s it stack up against the _Firebolt_?”

As they walked deeper into Diagon Alley, Harry became aware that the only people he could hear talking on street were Ron and Haruka. The other shoppers scurried from shop to shop along the high street, huddled in close groups like their own. And none of them talked, save a few hushed whispers.

“It’s been like this all summer,” Ginny said. “We went to visit Fred and George’s last week. The shop across from theirs was boarded up. And I heard Florentine was attacked.”

“Have there been anymore big attacks?” Hermione whispered.

“Not after the attempt on Ollivander’s, I don’t think.” Ginny pointed out his shop as they passed. Harry recognized Mundungus Fletcher as the beggar loitering near the door. “Still got aurors on him too, I bet. They’re probably not as obvious as Dung.”

“That’ll be the twins place,” Hagrid announced, drawing their attention to the next block of shops.

“I can’t imagine Molly’s happy about this,” Setsuna murmured.

Harry saw the shop they meant immediately. Next to the drab, unadorned grey shop fronts around them, the bright purple façade with its neon sign and eye-popping window display stood out like a firework show. _Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes_ scrolled across the top of the door in bright, pink neon letters. Harry’s eye was drawn to the ministry purple sign that covered an entire window. In bright green letters it read.

_Why are you worried about You-Know-Who?_

_You should be worried about U-No-Poo_

_The constipation sensation that’s gripping the nation_.

“Is this a shop or a circus?” Haruka asked as Setsuna and Hagrid ushered the group of them through the door.

“Bit of both, really,” Ginny said. “They’re definitely showing off.”

“Think I’m gone ter wait out here,” Hagrid said, eyes drawn to the Exotic Pet shop a few stores down.

“Sure,” Harry said, waving to him, his gaze already looking all around the expansive shop: gazing around the crowded main floor, the gold-stained spiral stairs, and the loft with still more treasures above.

Harry’s first impression of the inside of the shop was that a Lifetime supply of Bertie Botts must have exploded inside. The sheer intensity of the colors made his eyes water. He gaped at the display in the center of the room. The Skiving Snack Boxes that Fred and George had perfected last year were now proudly displayed in a pyramid that reached nearly the level of the second floor. Nosebleed Nougat looked to be the most popular.

“What are those!” Hotaru rushed to a shelf of cages on the left side of the shop. She clutched her new broom close as she stood on her toes and pressed her face to the bars of one cage

“Those are Pygmy Puffs,” Ginny said. “Cute things. I’ve got a pink one myself.”

“Cutest thing on four legs,” the twins’ voices announced as they appeared out of the crowd. They were dressed richly: in burgundy robes that Ron whispered were dragon hide, and had tall, matching wizards caps atop their red hair.

“This one smells like lilacs,” Hotaru murmured, giggling as the purple-furred fluff-ball in the cage she’d pressed her face too crawled to her and licked her nose.

“That it does,” one of the twins said. “And the new breed’s can light up if you ask’em nice. Perfect for anyone studying for exams, or really just your typical Ravenclaw…” And then he beamed and gestured towards the stairs that led to the second floor of the shop. “And that is one idea I cannot take credit for.” He cupped his hands over his mouth. “ _MORGANA LE FAIR,”_ Fred boomed while George rolled his eyes. “ _YOUR PRESENCE IS REQUIRED IN THE PET AISLE. I REPEAT: YOUR –”_

Before he could finish though, a pale, white lion-patronus, its mane twinkling like starlight, bounded down the stairs from the upper-floor, shoppers gasping and diving out of its way as they stared. The beast charged right up to Fred and stopped in front of him. His burgundy cap fell of his head.

“ _I heard you the first time!”_ the lion roared before disappearing. Fred was grinning as he walked towards the stairs.

Morgana Avery slid down the banister, her own dragon hide robes of midnight blue billowing behind her. She landed on two feet and bounded up to Fred, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him soundly.

“I was assisting in the disguise section,” she said in a tone of faux irritation.

“I know, but I thought you’d want to see them,” Fred said, gesturing to the group clustered near the Pygmy Puffs.

Morgana’s face lit up when she saw the Senshi. She tore herself away from Fred and ran to them. She hugged Haruka, ruffled Hotaru’s hair, and then stopped at Setsuna. She straightened up. “I got my marks!” she said. “I got an O on the NEWT.”

“An O, she says,” scoffed George.

“She got the highest score,” said Fred.

“Of course she did.” Setsuna smiled. “I got a copy of your essay, academically speaking, it was excellent.” She waved her wand and a shiny brochure appeared in her hand. She handed it to Morgana “It’s a good thing you wrote it as I taught you to.”

“You teach essay writing?” Hermione asked. She flicked her eyes between Setsuna and Morgana, torn between looking at the professor and getting a better look at the brochure Morgana had opened in her hands.

“It’s a useful skill – especially in non-magical academics. And, Avery’s essay on the exam was passed on to a special committee of the ICW because of its strength in that regard.”

“The ICW?” Avery whispered.

“You should be getting an owl from them close to Christmas,” Setsuna said. “They’ll have an offer for you, but I’ve a feeling you’ll want to write back and tell them you want this option instead.”

Avery nodded, tucking the brochure into her robes before any of them could see. Hermione was pouting. “Why did I quit that course,” she muttered to herself.

“It’s not too late to join,” Setsuna said. “If you sit and pass the OWL within the first week of classes there’s still time for you to enrol in the NEWT level.”

“Oh no,” Ron groaned. “Hermione don’t – d’you realize how much work that’ll be?”

“She’s muggleborn, Ron,” Ginny said. “It can’t be that hard.”

Then Avery shrieked as the aqua-blue striped snake slithered free of Hotaru’s cloak and dove towards the floor. The snake rose up to her full height, warping and changing into Michiru.

“You’d think that,” Michiru said, smirking as she brushed her hair back. “But Haruka’s NEWT score would suggest otherwise.”

“ _I passed_ ,” Haruka defended herself

“Merlin’s balls,” Morgana swore. “I forgot you learned that,” and she rushed across the group to Michiru, grinning as she hugged her. “I was hoping you’d stop by – oh!” she looked at Hotaru. “You found the Pygmy Puffs!” Morgana grinned. “She can have one if she wants – I’ll cover it,”

“Can I have one, please?” Hotaru trained impressively wide eyes and a well-practiced pout at all three of her parents. “ _Please_.”

The three older senshi traded small smiles with each other.

“As long as you remember to feed it,” Michiru cautioned.

“ _YES_!” Hotaru cheered, rushing back over to the cage with the purple animal inside.

“Do you want that one,” George said, whipping a set of bronze keys out of his pocket. “Here.” He stooped down to unlock the door of the cage and scoop out the fluffy, purple creature.

Hotaru passed her broom to Harry so she could take the pint-sized fluff-ball George offered her. It turned around once in her hand, sniffed her fingers, and then stood up, falling forward and bracing tiny purple paws on Hotaru’s face as it leaned in and sniffed her cheek.

“Should get one for Usagi too,” Haruka chuckled, looking around the store. “What else you got?”

“Oh loads!” Avery said, gesturing around the ground floor. “You know the snack boxes of course and…”

They split off into smaller groups once Harry, Hermione, Hotaru, and the outer senshi had been given a proper tour of the main floor. Setsuna’d been keen to see some of the twins more experimental inventory. Fred and George had left it to Ron and Ginny to make sure their friends saw the rest of the shop. “Harry,” they’d said. “Take anything you like. Ginny, make sure Ron keeps his pockets empty.” Haruka’d offered to stick with the kids (and attempt to come up with a way to prank the twins back for every time they’d pranked her over the summer).

Michiru and Morgana had followed the students group for a while, until Morgana had brought up the product line geared towards defending civilians against the Death Eaters, something Michiru’d been quite keen to see. Hence they found themselves below the shop’s main floor, browsing through the Weasleys’ wall-to-wall stock of shield cloaks, hats, scarves, and even gloves as Michiru caved to the long-over due need for a shopping slurge.

Having already set aside five piles of the adult sizes matched to the inner senshi’s house colors, the two of them were now combing through the racks and boxes for the child sized clothes, hunting for anything that would match well with Ravenclaw’s blue and bronze.

“If there wasn’t so much to do for the Order, I’d just spend the year as her pet snake and accompany her to class,” Michiru said as she set aside a blue scarf.

“Because _that_ wouldn’t be conspicuous at all,” Morgana said. “Here, this box has some.” She levitated it into the center of the room and the two of them began sorting through the cloaks inside, separating them out by size and color into different corners of the store room. “I’m sorry… about her father,” Morgana cleared her throat. “How’s she coping?”

“Like any twelve year old would, I suppose.” Michiru sighed. “She’s handling him being dead,” she said. “But I expected her to bring up at least once that she blames herself. Which she has not mentioned once.” She paused, debating between a light purple cloak and a navy blue and flicking her wand, directing both towards her approved pile, “And considering her mood lately, I’m inclined to think that it is bothering her, and she’s just not talking about it.”

“Well it might be good for her to get away to school then.” Avery banished the clothes they’d decided against back into their box and summoned the next one. “Hogwarts has a nice way of distracting you from all your stupid family problems until you’re ready to deal with them.”

“Does that mean you were able to deal with your mother by the time we graduated?”

Avery shrugged, banishing the next cloak from the box with so much force that it hit a pile of boxes and sent them toppling over, saved from a crash only by a hasty cushioning charm from the two witches.

“I don’t think anything in the world could help me deal with my mother,” Avery said. “But it _did_ help me stop reading her letters.”

“Good,” Michiru nodded. The only time she’d ever seen Avery lose her carefully crafted composure had been the days the severe looking screech owl had landed on her arm, thick letters with Avery’s family crest sealed onto the parchment. “Has she caused any trouble for you this summer?”

“Not much – bet she’s been too preoccupied with petitioning Voldemort to spring Dad out of Azkaban,” Avery said. She cross her arms over her chest. “I saw her once… during the first Diagon attack,” she said to her shoes.

“Was she part of the attack force?”

“No – no, she used them as a distraction.” She swallowed hard. “She was convinced Fred had used a love potion on me…tried to get me to come home.”

Michiru noticed Avery hug her arms tighter. “How?”

“Imperioed me,” Avery sighed.

The cloaks that had been levitating around the room dropped to the floor as Michiru’s concentration broke. “And you escaped?”

Avery snorted. “It’s not exactly difficult to throw it off if you know what you’re doing. Still, its never a pleasant experience.”

“You’ve had done to you before?”

Avery nodded. “Like I said, never a pleasant experience,”

“How do you learn to fight it?” Michiru asked.

“You have it cast on you and hope for the best.” Avery shrugged. “Or you learn Occlumency. Resisting imperio’s a skill that’s related to that.” She nodded to Michiru. “You’d probably be good enough at Occlumency.”

“Where have I heard that word before?”

“Defense Class, I expect. It was a paragraph in the back of Umbitch’s Boring Book of Theories.” She waved her wand, picking up the piles of the shield clothes off the floor and tossing them back in their boxes. “It’s supposed to help you defend your mind from a Legilimens – a mind-reader,” she explained. “Which, is also a skill you can learn if you’re an Occlumens. It’s pretty useful. It helps you lie to a Legilimens too if you get very good at it, There’s rumors the best can lie to Veritaserum, but I don’t believe that’s true.” She looked at Michiru as she conjured a box for the clothes she’d selected and raised her eyebrows. “ _That_ could be an entire trunk by itself. I hope you’re not trying to sneak these into her wardrobe without her noticing – it’s going to fail spectacularly.”

Michiru chuckled. “No I’m not trying to sneak them in. I’ll tell her they’re shielded. She’s not the type of child who’d find that overprotective.”

“She’s nearly a teenager.”

“I’ll thank you not to remind me of that,” Michiru said. “These are strictly for my peace of mind.”

“You know those won’t stop the kinds of spells the Death Eaters will throw at her.”

“No, but I am counting on those who might harm her at Hogwarts being a bit more squeamish about their dark curses,” she shrunk the box and summoned it, putting it in her purse. “Which would not be necessary if screening students for the Dark Mark had not been vetoed?”

“Well Merlin forbid it not sit well with the Board of Governors,” Avery said, rolling her eyes.

Michiru scowled. “Albus Dumbledore does not strike me as the type of wizard who caves to the fits and fancies of bureaucrats. What he strikes me as, is someone who gives too many chances.”

Two floors above, in an office far too garish for her tastes and covered in an organized chaos of cauldrons, spell books, and spinning, sparking, and hopping bits and bobs, Setsuna was having a similar discussion with two of the Order’s newest members.

“I mean, what’s he think’s so controversial about it!” Fred fumed, sulking as he leaned back against the bookcase behind the cluttered worktable. “He wouldn’t even need to tell the board. It’s just a modified Sneak-o-scope. You could put one at the door to the train and wheedle out the traitors as they got to Hogsmeade. The junior Death Munchers wouldn’t know it was any different than a normal Sneak-o-scope.”

“Assuming they knew what _that_ was,” Setsuna muttered, lifting the gleaming, silver instrument up to her eye.

“Exactly,” George sighed. The mirror image of Fred, he was slumped back against the opposite side of the bookcase. “But he turned us down – said that’s ‘breaking the trust between student and professor.’” He kicked the bookcase with his foot. “Even Morgana agrees half of Slytherin house is just frothing at the mouth to join the ranks. Why we can’t intervene at the source of their recruits?”

Setsuna shook her head. “I cannot comment on Dumbledore’s reasons for doing things.”

“Do you think he’s being too cautious?” Fred asked.

She tilted her head as she regarded them both. “That, I think, is an opinion you must form for yourselves.”

George rolled his eyes. “Once a professor,”

“Always a professor,” Fred finished.

“Well look around you,” she waved around the chaotic office space. “You’re flourishing entrepreneurs. You have a pension for accomplishing whatever magic you put your mind to. And, by the looks of the rest of Diagon, you are one of a very few who have not yet been cowed into silence. And who are wise enough, I dare say, to live _despite_ this war.” She twisted the modified sneak-o-scope in her hand, examining it. It was a remarkable little trinket. “Given all that, it seems to me that telling you what to think would be a glaring insult to your intelligence.”

Fred and George looked at each other, and then at her, and then back at each other.

“I hate when you do that,” the twins declared.

“Do what?”

“Set us up,”

“To question everything,”

“And make us think it was our idea,” they chorused.

She laughed and shook her head, “You are not soldiers,” she told them. “You’re not aurors. You don’t have to stand for what Dumbledore stands for or what the ministry stands for. That may sound like you have no power but, in fact, you have quite a bit more that even the aurors do.” She tapped her wand and five galleons appeared in the air over Fred’s head, and plinked into his hand. “Question things. Find out what you stand for, and how you’re going to fight for it with the resources you have. It’s going to make a world’s more difference than an auror team treading carefully on politics toes.” She tapped her wand against the sneak-o-scope, vanishing it into her office in the castle. “Just because there won’t be checks of the students on the train, doesn’t mean professors won’t like to have these. Why don’t you send out letters?”

“S-sure,” George said.

“And if I could make a suggestion,” she said. “Keep one of these by your register. It is a good precaution. Whatever you sell that might have the potential to be used in a fight, remember who’s buying it determines which side it ends up on.”

“We wouldn’t sell to Death Eaters!” they exclaimed

“I never said you would, but you do have Owl orders,” Setsuna told them. “Be very careful how you sell that Peruvian Darkness Powder over the next few months.”

As if just realizing that could be a security breach, Fred and George exchanged a stunned look.

“I do believe we’re profiteering, Fred,” George realized.

“Bit unsettling,” Fred muttered. He saluted Setsuna.

“You got it Professor M. Anything else we should wat –”

But he did not finish. A great crash interrupted him. Followed by the harsh chimes of glass shattering across a hardwood floor. The three of them had rushed across the office, wands ready by the time the shoppers below had begun screaming.

“Bollocks!” George cursed as the twins ran behind Setsuna to the office door. She wrenched it aside, running to the railing, frowning when she saw the glass and huddled bodies on the floor and the smoking lump that had knocked over the skiving snack boxes… but no attackers.

“Thank Merlin we flame-proofed the place,” Fred said. “They’re gonna have to do better than a fire bomb to get us.”

“Those aren’t Death Eaters,” Setsuna said, pointing out the shattered windows. Long, black shapes zipped around outside. “Are those… Dementors?”

“No they don’t fly the same way…” George squinted. “Fred… d’you reckon?”

“I do,” Fred said. “Dad says they fought in the first war.”

“What?”

“Vampires.”

~ _AgeofAquarius_ ~

Haruka’d been reading over the description on the daydream charm, while trying to hide her mirth as Hotaru’d torn into Ron about the ethics of the love potions bubbling over in the front window, when she’d felt the chill run up her spine. Not the full body chill that accompanied the dementors, thankfully, but the sort that made the hairs on her neck stand on end. She set the charm down, scanning the street outside the shop.

Her eyes darted to the dark shape in the sky as it grew from the size of a cherry to that of a quaffle as it hurtled towards the windows.

“ _Down!_ ” she shouted, racing around the large display and tackling Hotaru and Ron, She banged her elbow against the ground as she saw Harry push Hermione and Ginny to the ground just in time for something to crash through the windows, sending shards of glass spewing across the ground floor.

The dark object slammed into the pyramid of Skiving Snack Boxes and fizzled as a plume of smoke rose off the top. Several of the boxes caught fire and burnt to ash on the shop floor.

“The hell?” Ron asked as customers around the shop shouted, and murmured to eachother. Several in view of the destroyed windows screamed, scrambling back into the shelves and floor displays as they pointed outside at the dark figures zooming past.

“Look at their skin!” Hermione said. And Haruka noted the sallow, paper-thin appearance of the flesh on the closest figure’s hands. “Those are vampires.”

“But its daylight!” Ginny exclaimed.

Haruka narrowed her eyes at the black clouds that had covered the sky overhead. “Not anymore.” She stood and helped Hotaru and Ron to their feet and pulled her henshin wand from her pocket. “They’re not coming in.”

“They have to be invited,” Hermione said.

“Good.” Haruka nodded to them. “Am I gonna have any luck telling you to stay here?”

“No,” Ginny and Harry chorused at the same time. Hermione and Ron nodded to each other, wands already in hand.

“Thought so.” and Haruka jerked her head towards the basement door, running as Hotaru and Ginny followed her. When it opened a few moments later, Sailor Uranus, Saturn, and Neptune and Sir. Jadeite sprinted out ahead of Morgana Avery. The students watched as they gathered in front of the broken windows, Sailor Pluto jumping from the loft above to join them.

“They’re fire-bombing the other shops,” Pluto noted. “The civilians will run out into the streets.”

“How do we kill these things?” Uranus asked.

“Sunlight,” Hermione said immediately. “Oh but that’s not an option right now. Fire. Wooden stakes, but those have to be _very_ precise. You can tear off their heads.”

“Can I just cut them off?” Uranus asked.

“If you have a silver blade…” She lifted her wand and Uranus held out her twin swords, which shimmered as the metal that comprised them turned from a slight blue to a darker grey.” Jadeite, Neptune, and Saturn held up their blades as well.

“Okay,” Uranus said, spinning her two swords to test the changed weigh. “Neptune.”

“I’ll get the fires out.”

“Good, Saturn, help the others keep these things away from the shoppers.

“Got it.”

“Pluto, you’re with me,” Uranus said then she glanced down at Jadeite. “You practiced enough with that sword yet to be in the thick of it.”

Jadeite smirked. “Don’t need practice,” they said, turning the gleaming Sword of Gryffindor. “It’s like riding a broomstick.”

“Good,” Uranus nodded to Pluto. “Then follow our lead.” And the two of them ran right up to the windowsill with Jadeite on their heels, stepped up onto it, and leapt out into the chaos on the street, _Dead Scream_ incinerating two vampires unlucky enough to be right in their path.

“They have magic too,” Harry reminded the others as he moved to follow them through the window. “Don’t catch their eyes. Don’t get bitten”

Out the window, amid the mass of people who had streamed into the street from the burning buildings, The onlookers in Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes caught sight of the bright, purple curse shooting into the crowd.

“That’s Dolohov’s,” Hermione whispered.

“Thought they put him back in Azkaban?” Ron frowned.

“Guess he didn’t stay there,” Neptune said, rushing out the window with Saturn. They others sprinted out after them with Harry in the lead. “That’s too many people to get into the safe buildings,” Neptune observed, launching a _Deep Submerge_ towards the fire across the street.

“I’ll get into the middle,” Saturn said. She jumped up into the air, beating back several vampires with _Silence Glaive Surprise_. And landed somewhere in the crowd.

“Come on,” Harry said, nodding to the other students, “Let’s help her.” he led the way forwards. Shooting small fireballs at the monsters overhead as he and the others shouted at the crowd to group closer together. In the middle of the street, Saturn had the glaive ready.

“Try to get the people inside. Watch for whoever shot that curse.” Neptune told Avery and the Weasley twins. She used a _Submarine Reflection_ to push back several vampires and scanned the burning shops “Leave the fires to me.”

 _“Jadeite Noble Flame!_ ” Jadeite’s attack shot an arc of flames into the air as they fell and landed on the awning over a shop. Uranus landed on the ground nearby and watched as the vampires Jadeite had it recoiled from the flames, burns on their sleek black robes. She’d just taken a pass at two more, cutting off a hand and gouging one in the chest but narrowly missing he head. In the east _Dead Scream_ clashed with another. And a tidal wave crashed over a burning block of buildings. _Silence Wall_ had most of those huddled in the street covered and she could see Harry and their friends were making progress leading the others back to the safe buildings.

But the fires continued lighting all over the street, and it wasn't only vampires they were fighting, Uranus determined as Jadeite cast _Protego_ to cover them both from a rain of jinxes.

She could hear the faint pops of Death Eaters apparating into the fight, and shot _Space Sword Blaster_ at the shimmer in the air that she’d come to learn was a disillusioned wizard. The shimmer vanished with another _pop_. She _really_ hated this apparation business.

“You handle the bloodsuckers,” she said to Jadeite. “I’ll handle the Death Eaters.”

Further down the street she saw Sirius Black appear, beside the pink-haired Tonks, countering a red spell shot at them out of thin air and shouting something to her as she sprinted around the bend in the street, in the direction Uranus had seen _Dead Scream._

She surveyed the battle, blocked a curse off her sword, and spotted a cluster of dark robed figures appear in a line along the street before disillusioning themselves, the blurs of at least ten vampires sped past on foot and by air into the large crowds. Many felled by stakes from the Order and more composed members of the massive crowds, several slammed right into _Silence Wall_ and were stunned long enough for Jadeite and several students to set them aflame. Uranus couldn’t see Pluto, only her attacks, lighting up around a bend in the road.

She saw the blur of two vampires speeding towards her from either side and flipped into the air, cleaving both their heads off with the two Space Swords. The collapsed onto the ground, pale bodies darkening and blotting into well rotted corpses, Uranus covered her face with one hand and turned away from the sickly sweet smell of them, most of the vampires were airborne. She ran towards the center of the street, the faster she could cut them down the sooner they could focus all their resources on the damn Death Eaters.

~ _SMH_ ~

Pluto shouted as she grappled with one pale monster for control of the Garnet Rod, it having grown back together from the tatters _Dead Scream_ had left it in.

With the element of surprise lost after the first few minutes, she was finding these much more difficult to combat than she had initially assumed. They were fast for one, perhaps even faster than Uranus. And they were strong. She grunted and jerked the Garnet Rod free at last, using the butt of the staff to knock the monster back. It somersaulted in the air raised its hands, a cloud of brick and mortar debris rose up between it and her. She gritted her teeth. Psychokinesis was new.

She leapt away from the debris as it shot towards her and when she landed on a low roof she took stock of the panicked crowd. Her eyes narrowed.

The raggedy, unmistakable figure of Mundungus Fletcher was elbowing his way towards one of the none-burning buildings.

_He was guarding Ollivander’s…but Ollivander wouldn’t have to move. His shop’s surely flame-retardant._

Her eyes scanned over the vampires: hovering over the widest, busiest, block of Diagon and the random spells from disillusioned combatants corralling shoppers up the street towards them. “It’s a distraction,” she realized. She disapparated with a pop over to the opposite side of the Alley.

She landed right in the middle of the wand shop to the sight of a wild dark haired witch leaning over the old wandmaker who was bound in ropes on the floor near his overturned desk.

She shot a silent _stupefy_ from the gem on the Garnet rod and the red spell hit the shelf behind Ollivander, its target having vanished.

There was a _pop_ close behind her, and an arm cinched around her throat. A spell glued her arms to her sides.

“Well, well,” Bellatrix Lestrange giggled close to her ear. “Time Keeper: I’ve been dying to meet you.”

~ _SMH_ ~

Tonks had been patrolling the block around Ollivander’s using various faces that morning when the attack had started. She’d had joined Sirius very early on, apparating towards the main fighting. She’d put out three fires, staked seven vampires, and stunned two of the sodding Death Eaters when she realized she’d made a bad call.

Because the Dark Eaters, she wanted to kick herself, weren’t terrorizing the street at random, they were shooting from one line, not advancing, though their disillusionment would have permitted it. Which meant, she thought, they were protecting something: something on Diagon’s south side.

“They’re going for Ollivander,” she announced to the two Order members closest to her – young Stebbins and Fawcett. “I need backup.” She apparated away with their hands on her shoulders, appearing down the street from Ollivander’s as a magenta explosion blasted away the entire front wall of the wand shop

“That’s Pluto’s,” Tonks muttered. “Come on!”

The debris from Ollivander’s was smoking and strewn all over the street and they raced to the ruined shop. There was no sign of Lestrange or Pluto. Ollivander was on the floor by his desk. Fawcett checked his vitals. “Stable,” he said, vanishing the ropes around the wandmaker.

“Where’s Pluto?” Tonks asked though she needn’t have. The pops out in the street signaled Meioh and the Death Eater’s return, as did the volleys of spell fire and the bright magenta lights of Meioh’s signature spell as the two apparators dueled their way around the ruined block of shops.

Two red lights shot at each other from either side of Diagon. As the three Order members ran to the gaping hole in the wand shop the spells clashed in midair. Sparks flew. Sailor Pluto sent off another stunner on the heels of the first and disapparated away from the knife thrown towards her middle, appearing several feet to the left. The knife sailed past the ruined shop front, narrowly missing Tonks’ ear.

“It’s my aunt,” Tonks muttered, scanning the street as Pluto did. “Stay inside,” she told Stebbins and Fawcett. “She’ll come back for him.”

She ran out into the street, transfiguring one of the charred building stones scattered in the street into a shield. Moody had made her study the tactics of Voldemort’s followers relentlessly over the past year. She had groused about it day and night then, but it was paid off when she saw the mass of stones shoot up into the air and dive towards her. she used her wand to banish them and put the shield behind her back, wincing as the force of _Crucio_ hit the shield with a white hot burst of heat.

“ _Chronos Typhoon!”_ Pluto shouted, and a great, magenta cyclone spun out of her garnet-capped staff. It pulled up the debris in the street, including the ruined stall that Lestrange was hiding behind, and dragged Lestrange towards the whirlwind with it.

Tonks swore as Lestrange disapparated out of the trap, appearing right behind Pluto and entrapping her in a lightning locker hex: ropes laced through with live electricity constricted around Pluto’s arms and legs. Tonks countered it with a freezing charm that turned the ropes to brittle ice that Pluto easily cracked. Tonks carried on by waving her wand to the left and right, summoning two chunks of stone walls on either side of the street intending to crash them together around Lestrange.

As the duel on the south side of Diagon intensified, the debris around the duelists and across the alley rose up into the air. It drew Fawcett and Stebbins attention away from the rudimentary wards they were racing to throw up over Ollivander’s ruined shop. The duelists hadn’t paid it any mind, Tonks and Pluto too busy trying to capture Lestrange and dodge her dark magic in the process. Fawcett tracked the debris as it flew into the sky, towards the north side of the Alley where the battle against the vampires carried on in earnest. Over the battered, high buildings that belonged to the _Daily Prophet_ , Fawcett saw a cloud of the debris gathering above the street, spinning, he noted, like a hurricane around the dark figures of the vampires hovering inside. He stepped towards the street, and was stopped by Stebbins hand on his shoulder.

“Ollivander’s the objective,” Stebbins reminded Fawcett as he moved to leave the shop. “We stay here.”

Fawcett nodded, looking out towards the three duelists. Tonks hurtled her warped and twisted shield at Bellatrix and she and Sailor Pluto sent twin twisters – one magenta and the other grey – spinning towards her.

The growing whirlwind many shops away, and the feeling of the dark spells being cast just beyond the shop made every hair on his body stand on end.

“If we can put an anti-apparition ward over the shop,” Stebbins said. “We can help them.”

Fawcett nodded, directing his attention back to the wards. He knew all the incantations by heart, and the wand movements. The diagrams from his textbooks remained perfectly clear in his head. Even so, he had to do several steps of the incantations over due to the shaking of his clammy hands.

~ _SMH_ ~

_“Deep Submerge!”_

Neptune threw the sphere of sea water into the three vampires who were racing towards her, knocking them back through the air and putting out the large fire that had started in the cauldron shop. She threw the silver-tipped trident at them while they were regrouping from her attack. It ripped the first vampire’s head from its body, skewering the second, and barely missing the third as it vanished in a cloud of smoke.

Michiru felt a chill behind her and summoned the trident back. She whirled around, stabbing the vampire, but the weapon passed straight through. It was a mere projection. And it dropped lower, feet passing through the floor of the roof she stood on, so that its wide yellow eyes caught Neptune’s.

Morgana Avery was right below, ushering the crowds of people into the fireproofed shops, when she saw the astral projection fly back to the physical vampire, hovering high above the rest of the crowds. It lifted its pale hand and beckoned towards the roof above her. Sailor Neptune floated off the roof, drifting towards the vampire. The three prongs off her trident scrapped against the shingles as she moved slowly into the open air. The weapon dangled in her loose grip.

“Michiru!” Avery and the Weasleys shouted at the same time as Uranus raced down the center of the street and threw a _World Shaking_ up towards the vampire.

The attack though hit a chunk of still smoldering roofing from a nearby shop and sent ash and splinters of wood spewing out in all directions. They and the panicked shoppers and Order members and Hogwarts students all stared and dodged out of the way as debris began to rise above the street along with all of the remaining monsters. Disillusioned Death Eaters continued to preoccupy most of the Order and the students as a great wind circled round overhead, created by the growing cloud of debris orbiting the monsters.

And Sailor Neptune…

Uranus threw another attack, and another, and charged the whirlwind, only to get knocked back by one of the bricks zooming past. Rolled across the torn-up cobblestones of the Alley and growled when a vampire appeared several paces ahead of her. She charged it.

“Wait!” Harry Potter of all people ran in front of her. He flinched back from her twin swords. “It’s the projection.”

“It’s trying to catch your eye,” Sirius Black’s voice hollered from across the street. And in the crowds, she could see several other witches and wizards being levitated off the ground as those around them tried in vain to hold them down by the ankles or with summoning charms. To no avail.

The whirlwind had stretched down to street level, protecting the vampires and their captives far above and tapering off into a funnel that continued to tear up the cobblestones. Uranus cleaved one in two with her sword as it rocketed towards she and Harry Potter. Everyone around rushed to press against the buildings, far from the wind.

“Neptune!” Uranus shouted. But it was clear Neptune could not hear her over the roar of the wind. She sent _Space Turbulence_ towards it, and the funnel was blown apart. But the vampires only darted up higher into the air, reforming their protective shield of debris in barely a second as their projections continued to surprise people in the crowds, entrapping them with their gaze and then summoning them up into the air. Uranus strained to see through the wind. Neptune was in the very center of the vampires and their captives, trident still limp in her hand.

“Why isn’t she fighting them!” Uranus shouted.

“She can’t,” Potter explained. “If they look at you it’s like getting imperioed. You can’t think.”

A flash of purple caught her eye as Sailor Saturn leapt towards the whirlwind, glaive poised, at the same time as several vampires projected their images into the air near her. Uranus leapt towards her, knocking Saturn away from the whirlwind, rolling the both of them across the street towards the Weasleys’ shop. When she looked up, she saw the translucent black boots of a vampire hovering over the ground close by.

“Don’t look,” she told Saturn, averting her gaze from the projection.

“But we need to get past them!” Saturn shouted. “I’m trying to reach her,” Saturn said putting her hands over her temples. “But she’s not answering!”

Uranus stared up towards the whirlwind, away from the astral projection that still hovered near, hoping to catch her gaze. “Just…just stay here,” she ordered Saturn. “I’m working on…”

“ _Petrificus Totalis.”_

Uranus heard Morgana Avery’s voice whisper the spell and turned in time to see Fred Weasley fall back onto George, his eyes wide and his mouth glued shut as he tried to shout something at Morgana, who’d walked away from him.

“Morgana!” George shouted.

“Let me try something,” she said, continuing to walk, past Uranus and Saturn, her eyes on the ground. She walked right up to the vampire’s projection, still hovering near them. She raised her gaze.

Fred Weasley shouted as Morgana’s arms slackened, wand barely held in her loosened grip. The projection vanished and Morgana’s body sailed into the air, right up through the funnel of debris and into the vampires’ trap.

“The hell is she doing?” George Weasley muttered.

Uranus raised both her swords, running back towards the whirlwind after Morgana, she squinted through the debris, watching the witch’s body sail up, into the middle of the crowd of Vampires.

Only Uranus was close enough to see the slight wave of Morgana’s wand a wooden stake formed in front of it. She waited tense as it hovered through the cluster of vampires, guided by the slightest twitches of Morgana’s wrist, until it hovered behind the vampire on Neptune’s left. Morgana’s arm thrust forwards. So did the stake. With just enough force to stab up, through the vampire’s ribs, piercing its heart.

It shrieked, and its body turned dark and blotted as it plummeted out of the air, its body hit the pavement with a splat, a very decomposed mess.

Neptune had gasped as soon as the stake had driven home, the thrall that had entrapped her broken. She raised the trident high, the silver prongs and the mirror on the weapon’s handle shimmered as the fresh power of the sea filled it.

“ _Trident Tidal Wrath”_ she shouted, surprising Uranus and Saturn. The new attack sent the weapon launching into the air, driven by a giant wave of water, it arced back down, driving through the crowd of vampires, the silver tips shearing heads off of each monster it its path. It felled ten of them before the power in it disappated, the majority of the captives now free of their control. The remaining vampires screeched, pale, veiny faces strained as the task of maintaining the whirlwind became much more taxing. The headless corpses of the killed vampires smashed into the street.

“That was rude,” Neptune whispered as she summoned the trident back. Along with her several of the captives, Morgana included, raised their wands.

Uranus was preparing her own _World Shaking_ when her ears caught a sound unheard by the others on the street, the wind too loud for normal ears to hear anything else.

It was the _pop_ of many disapparations, one after the other. Uranus glanced to her left. Indeed, further down the street, the spell fire from the disillusioned death eaters had ceased. They were leaving.

Something gleamed on the cobblestones – golden rings attached to the fingers of all the felled vampires.

And in an instant they, and their living counterparts, vanished.

The captive witches and wizards began to fall towards the street. Uranus heard several people casting cushioning and banishing charms and cast a cushioning charm of her own under the majority of the captives. Then she jumped up and vanished her swords, catching Neptune herself.

“Well that was gallant,” Neptune muttered after Uranus had finished kissing her and set her on her feet. They looked out at the destroyed street, the nervous crowds and the captives getting to their feet and saw Morgana nearby, dusting herself off. The order, their student friends, and Sailor Saturn, were converging on them from all sides.

“Lucky you could break their hold like that,” Sirius Black said.

“Lucky indeed,” Neptune said, looking meaningfully at Morgana. “Did they disapparate?”

“Portkeys,” Mad-Eye Moody growled, looking through the crowd. “They all had ‘em,” His magical eye focused on something far away, twitching furiously. “Nymphadora,” he cursed, scowling. “I keep telling that girl: constant vigilance!”

~ _SMH_ ~

Pluto sent another _Chronos Typhoon_ spiraling across the street towards Bellatrix, who conjured a cyclone of her own – the dark spell laced through with ethereal figures that screamed at a pitch so high Pluto felt sure her ears would bleed.

On the heels of that, Bellatrix slashed her wand down towards the street and something noxious and yellow billowed out of her wand, rushing over the street and rising into the air in a dense fog. Tonks recognized the odor before it had reached her and conjured a bubblehead charm, prompting Fawcett and Stebbins to do the same.

The yellow poison rose up above their heads, hiding the entire street.

And consuming Sailor Pluto and Tonks still out in the street.

“She didn’t put up a bubblehead charm,” Fawcett worried about Pluto. “Did she?”

“Not sure she knows it,” Stebbins replied. They rush out into the street, hearing the tell tale _pop_ of apparation within the fog. A red spell flashed through it. Something heavy thudded against the cobblestones. Stebbins and Fawcett rushed towards it. They nearly tripped over Tonks legs, stunned on the ground with the bubblehead charm thankfully still active.

And then as Fawcett moved to _renneverate_ her, the yellow fog around them pushed back until the blue sky was visible in a circle overhead, and the cobblestones in a circle below.

Tonks stood and they all saw the Garnet Orb flash as it and Pluto emerged from the fog too, the yellow poison appeared to warp away from her as she joined the circle of clear air.

“Did you do this?” Stebbins whispered. And Pluto nodded, putting a finger to her lips. The fog continued to swirl in a dense circle around them and she pointed out into it.

Stebbins, Fawcett, and Tonks all stared where she pointed as she aimed the Garnet Rod. For a few minutes nothing was visible.

Then Tonks put her wand up. She saw something dark moving within the poison fog exactly where Pluto pointed. It was the swish of black robes. Stebbins and Fawcett raised their wands too.

As Bellatrix approached, they could hear her giggling.

“Time Keeper,” she called. “You can’t have walked far in this…”

 _She doesn’t see us,_ Stebbins realized as outside the circle, Lestrange wandered to the left and then right, weaving back and forth across the street. _Surely she’d use “Homenum Revelio?”_

Pluto raised her gloved hand, motioning for them to move. They followed her as the circle of clear air moved with her, closer and closer to Lestrange. Stebbins stepped slightly in front of Fawcett. As the advanced, the Death Eater’s whole figure came into view.

The four of them cast stunners at the same time, and Bellatrix dark form fell back and thudded to the ground. Pluto raised the Garnet Rod and the gem flashed, all the gas in the street rushing away and vanishing, leaving only a yellow ring painted across the surrounding buildings, and many rose petals drifting down towards the ground.

They stepped up to Lestrange. She was stunned on the ground, her eyes tracking Pluto as they circled her with their wands drawn. Her mouth was frozen in a twisted grin.

Tonks bent down and pried the curved black wand out of Bellatrix hand. “Let’s see you try…” and she paused, frowning. “Is that a wedding ring?”

They had time to take in the gleaming gold bit of jewelry on Bellatrix left ring finger before it, and she flashed and vanished.

“A Portkey,” Pluto said. “She was toying with us.”

“Ollivander!” Tonks realized, and all of them charged into the ruined shop.

Just in time to see a similar gold ring, jammed onto the still recovering Wandmaker’s thumb, flash. It and he disappeared as Pluto and Tonks reached the overturned desk.

“Damnit!” Tonks.

~ _SMH_ ~

“Ollivander’s been captured,” Moody informed those of them gathered on the north side of Diagon. “Blasted portkeys.”

“They must have planned this a while to have so many,” Sirius said.

“I’m aware of that Black!” Moody snapped.

“Did Setsuna not see any of this?” Michiru worried, gazing into the mirror. Pluto was fine, currently walking back towards them with Fawcett, Stebbins, and a still cussing Tonks.

“I guess not,” Haruka said just as something green flashed overhead. All of them stiffened, heads darting up as the Dark Mark formed over the Alley, the green snake slithering around the giant skull.

“Who cast that?” Moody growled.

Michiru gazed into the Aqua Mirror and whipped around, looking up at the roof of Weasleys Wizard Wheezes.

“There.”

They drew their wands, though only Moody appeared to see what she did: A figure in white robes with a white hooded cloak standing on the edge of the joke shop roof.

Moody shot a stunner up towards the roof, but the figure was already gone, seeming as Michiru stared, to be swept away by the breeze.

“That was no Death Eater,” she murmured

Harry Potter’s head snapped towards her. “Were they wearing white robes?”

~ _SMH_ ~

“It’s got to be Lestrange,” Setsuna said at the emergency Order meeting called that evening. All of the Order was there, even both of the twins and Remus Lupin with a fresh looking set of scars on his face. “She’s clearly found a way to bypass my sight. I could predict the movements of every Death Eater there, and the vampires. But I missed her pass at Ollivander.”

“What about the person in white?” Michiru said, thinking back to the figure she’d seen briefly above the Alley.

Setsuna frowned and closed her eyes as she considered Michiru’s memory. But she finally shook her head. “I’ve never encountered him before.” She said.

“Harry said he might be working with Lestrange,” Haruka said. “If he’s following her orders, it’d make sense you can’t see him.”

“Mhmm,” Setsuna said, looking all the way across the kitchen table at Dumbledore, who’d been listening impassively. “Regardless we have to move fast to cripple her abilities. She’s got to have accounts at Gringotts – we could freeze those. And put scrutiny on those she’s known to associate with…”

Setsuna trailed off. Dumbledore was shaking his head.

“It would break several ministry laws to close her Gringotts accounts, they’re all from very ancient, noble Wizarding families.”

“She’s a criminal,” Setsuna scowled. “She’d be less of one without money to finance her – and Voldemort too.”

“The Goblins won’t allow it,” Dumbledore said, “Nor the Wizgamot.”

“Then we need to put more resources towards finding her,” Setsuna said. “Spells that could track her,”

“Are by and large dark spells,” Dumbledore said as around the table the Order members looked back and forth between their leader and the young professor. “Nor am I willing to risk out people on the hunt for someone as volatile and dangerous as Bellatrix Lestrange.”

“She’s Voldemort’s right hand,” Setsuna said. “Unless we gain more information about her and how she’s operationg more attacks like today’s are going to happen and more people are going to die.”

“She and the others would not exist without Tom Riddle,” Dumbledore said. “Whose downfall, I am working day and night to orchestrate. It is imperative that this Order continue defending civilians where they can, and persuading those populations on the fence to remain neutral, or to take our side.” he looked around at all of his members, most of whom were nodding resolvedly at him, though all four of Setsuna’s former students continued to frown, glancing back towards her. “Tom Riddle is the key. Even Bellatrix Lestrange would not be organized enough to maintain her current levels of terror without him.”

“Or she could be empowered enough to take his place,” Setsuna said, standing abruptly from her seat. “She was a Slytherin, that madness you see could be a clever mask for cunning. And the longer this goes on, the bolder she, and Voldemort will get.”

“And if we continue to focus on Tom,” Dumbledore said, “it won’t last much longer.” He rose much more calmly from his chair, Fawkes, on his shoulder, squawked and ruffled his feathers as though he were nervous. When he spoke again, it was in a calm, low tone Sirius and Remus were familiar with from the Marauders’ more dangerous offences. “I have a plan for Tom Riddle, one which requires time and discretion to be enacted, and one that will ensure that the means through which he was resurrected will not be possible a second time. The Death Eaters will crumble without him, and as Bellatrix is known to fight by his side, she will likely be there when we are eventually able to kill him, and I believe we can count on her being shocked long enough to apprehend her. That is why,” he said, nodding to each member of his Order, “it is important that everyone here work together to head off his bolder attacks, keep the Wizarding community safe where we can, and do not move on he or the inner circle until I am 100% confident that he cannot return.”

He ended his survey of the room on Setsuna, who still met his gaze with her equally cold look. “Tom Riddle,” he told her, “is a brilliant wizard who has grown arrogant over long decades of proving himself at Dark Magic. He is over-confident in his invincibility, and I am counting on that being his downfall.”

As Setsuna stared at him, she saw the path of his near future: his quiet talk with Sirius, Remus, and Tonks following this meeting, his quest with them the day before term would begin, the 100% chance that it would kill him and the 73% chance that it would kill him, and his secrets, quickly.

“He’s not the only powerful man prone to over-confidence,” she said, storming from the room without pausing to see the slack-mouthed looks on most of the order or hear the affronted gasps from Molly Weasley and Rubeus Hagrid.

“Let her go,” he said to them all, and Michiru put her hand on Haruka’s arm to keep her from storming out too. “She’s quite right,” his mouth was turned up in a slight smile. “I have been known to make mistakes…I can only hope, as anyone can, that I am not making one now.”

“You’ve been fighting this war longer than she’s been alive,” Moody said and Michiru resisted the urge to roll her eyes at that assumption. “And none of those weak-kneed pure-blood ninnies had even an inkling towards this kind of organization before Riddle came and riled ‘em up.”

The meeting continued as usual from there, breaking down what they had learned from the battle and where they might look for clues about Ollivander, at last landing on the reasons for his kidnapping.

“It likely has to do with Voldemort’s consistent failure to duel Harry,” Dumbledore said. “He’s most certainly sought Ollivander’s skills in the hopes of solving that problem.”

“D’you think Ollivander will have the answer?” Hagrid asked.

“That,” Dumbledore said, “we shall unfortunately have to wait and see.” He checked his watch and clapped his hands. “Now – I’ve certainly kept you all from your families and your dinner a very long while. I think we can adjourn.” He pet Fawkes feathered head as the Order’s chairs scrapped back and they vanished, tucked in the seats, or transfigured them back into the cats, cookie jars, and a coat rack they had once been. “Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin, Ms. Tonks, if you could remain behind a few moments.”

Michiru and Haruka hung back to walk with Minerva and Rolanda, who’d staunchly looked away from their side of the table when the Order had sided with Dumbledore.

“I thought you’d at least see her point,” Michiru said as they walked up the basement stairs.

Mcgonagall sighed. “Setsuna is a dear friend,” she said. “As you both are growing to be. That said,” she looked back towards the kitchen. “Albus weathered us through the first war. More of us are alive than not because of him. I still believe he can steer us safely through this one as well.”

“I’m indifferent to the whole thing, really,” Rolanda said too then as Minerva rushed ahead across the ground floor. “She’s the soldier. I’m just here so there’s fewer secrets between us.” She lowered her voice. “And she won’t play both sides, it’s not in her nature. That said,” she lowered her voice. “If Albus gets any battier than your Setsuna I doubt it’ll be hard to change her mind.”

They caught up with Minerva in the entrance hall, hanging back out of view of the door where three Weasleys were having a rather loud disagreement.

“That man has been protecting this family since before your brother was born, Fredrick Gideon,” Molly was shouting. _“_ And I needn’t remind you you’re named for a wonderful boy who fought for his ideas.”

“And died for them!” one of the twins shot back.

Molly gasped.

“ _Boys!”_ Arthur said in a warning tone.

“Well it’s true!” the twins said again. “And Professor Meioh knows more than you’d think, Dad.”

“And yet you’d let her divide you from your _family_!” Molly sniffed. “When Dumbledore’s been trying to keep this country together since he was barely a man. He has done great, great things.”

“But…but Mum we’re not,”

“No one’s trying to divide anyone,” Michiru said, stepping through the door of the entrance hall. She looked between all four red-faced Weasleys. “The light side needs to stick together if we’re going to defeat the Death Eaters.”

“But everyone is allowed to disagree,” Minerva said. “That is the makings of solid strategies and team work – understanding every angle and point of view.”

“You see,” Molly looked pleadingly towards her sons who stood together by the half open door. “Come home boys, have dinner. You’re never home anymore – and you’re always arguing like this when you are.”

“Well what are you going to do at dinner,” Fred said, “complain about Fleur again? Or maybe about someone else you’ve been talking about behind my back.”

“I have _not_.”

“You still can’t tell George and I apart either. Or you wouldn’t have told him what you did last week when he came home looking for our mini menagerie plans.”

Molly turned chalk white, “Freddy…”

“You can talk a lot about hearing all our points of view,” Fred said, “but you only ever listen to your own.” And he and George turned out of the house, dragon hide robes whirling around them, as they disapparated on the stoop.

“Now Molly,” Minerva said rushing forwards as the Weasley Matriarch emitted a strangled sound and turned her face into Arthur’s shoulder. “See here…”

“I think we’d better get her home before she sets that portrait off,” Rolanda said with a nod towards the curtain covered portrait of Walburga Black. “Don’t let Setsuna brood for too long.”

“As if we ever have any luck with that,” Michiru sighed and grabbed Haruka’s hand. “Come on,”

“Where’d she get to?”

“The Library.”

~ _SMH_ ~

As soon as the meeting had ended, Rigel Fawcett and Hamish Stebbins had been the first ones up the basement stairs, not keen to get caught in the gossip of the other Order members.

They’d exchanged the same look when Setsuna Meioh had stormed from the room. They’d seen enough of her power in class and now in the Order to trust her opinion as much as they’d ever trusted the beloved Headmaster’s. Now, with the two figureheads seemingly at odds, the two of them had come to a mutual realization of whom they trusted more.

As they reached the top of the stairs, Rigel grabbed Hamish’s hand and dragged him to the left, through the door of the Black Library.

“Rigel?” Hamish asked, raising one black eyebrow. “Is this really the time or place?”

Rigel flushed from the neckline of his forest green robes to the roots of his mousy-blond curls. “Get your head out of Knockturn!” he said, dragging Hamish towards the plush couches and chairs at the back of the room. “We’re meeting Professor Meioh here.”

“We are?” Hamish said.

“Yes,” Rigel said, letting his hand go once they’d reached the couches and pacing. “I mean I think so.”

“You do?”

“Well she does have a habit of turning up if you wait for her – remember when Muggle Studies got suspended last year. We still had class. And whenever her students needed to talk to her, it never seemed like they set times beforehand.”

Hamish considered that for a moment. “Fair,” he finally decided, then sighed and fell back onto one of the black, satin chairs. “Man ancient and noble houses lived richly. My cousins have a tiny estate but it’s not nearly so…” he surveyed the room. “Foreboding – is your family’s like this.”

“Mum’s side is – they’re related to the Rowles,” Rigel prattled, having wandered over to a nearby shelf of books and begun pacing the length of it, flicking his eyes over the books. “Dad’s side’s newer pure-blood. Though they’re adamant our ancestors were squibs, not muggles. He’s odd that way,”

“Are you sure this wasn’t just your excuse to look for summer reading?” Hamish wondered and smirked when Rigel froze with his fingers close to the spine of a particularly old-looking tome.

“I’m not going to pass up the opportunity,” Rigel said in a high-pitched voice.

Hamish shook his head. “Oh go on then, I’m sure Professor Meioh will show up just like you said.”

He didn’t quite believe him, but Rigel so rarely had the courage to act on his brilliant deductions. Hamish was more than willing to go along with this until he’d at least found some book or another to distract him.

He was thus surprised a few minutes later when the door to the library really did creak open, and he jolted up from the couch when two pairs of feet could be heard padding across the wood floor towards them.

Haruka and Michiru appeared from between the shelves, and Hamish relaxed towards the couch.

“I thought we were meeting Setsuna?” Haruka said.  
“We are,” Michiru replied, dragging her over towards the couch beside Hamish and pulling her down onto it. “They had the same idea.”

And as she spoke, a lavender light shone in the air and the Time Doors appeared, swinging open and revealing Setsuna, her robes billowing in the slight breeze that came from the Time Dimension.

She smiled when she saw Rigel rush back to the couches from deep within the stacks. “I hope you both realize you’re making a reckless move meeting us here,” she said. “Ours, right now, may become the part of the Pariah.”

“And we’re much more used to playing that part than you,” Haruka warned them.

“Well,” Hamish looked at Rigel, “We think you’re right.”

“The last war had more casualties for wizards and muggles than every campaign of Grindlewald put together,” Rigel said matter-o-factly. “And I d-don’t want to just _react_ when they hit us.” He nodded to Setsuna. “I’d rather be prepared.”

“And I stick with him,” Hamish said. “And with people I trust.”

Setsuna nodded “very well.”

“Are you they can handle it if we’re to take a more offensive approach?” Haruka asked. “I mean…they’ve just graduated.”

“So have you,” Hamish reminded them. “We’re just your age – I aced my Defence NEWT, I’ll have you know. And Rigel’s aiming to be a curse breaker.”

“And we are, comparative novices with Wix magic,” Setsuna reminded Haruka and Michiru. “It would valuable to have their comparative expertise.”

“If you’re sure…” Haruka said.  
Setsuna directed her gaze up towards the Garnet Orb, spinning it and letting it catch the soft lamp light that filled the library. “It is a very good idea.” And when she looked back to Haruka and Michiru they nodded at her, and Setsuna vanished the Garnet Rod, taking a seat beside Michiru on the couch. “Good, now,” she put her hand under her chin, looked around at all of them. “I’ve just spoken to Mina – the girls will be cutting their vacation short in light of today. I’m picking them up in two days.”

“Are there any more attacks coming before term.”

“Several smaller ones,” Setsuna said. “None that involve Bellatrix Lestrange… or that wizard Michiru saw.”

“Any idea who he might be?” Michiru asked, but Setsuna shook her head.

“Our guess is as good as Harry’s as of yet,” she said. “I did, however, glean some information about Dumbledore’s next mission which makes it imperative that we intervene.” She looked between the four of them and her eyes landed on Rigel Fawcett. “You’d know how to access a fair lot of Wizarding books, I imagine.”

“Yes,” Rigel said. “I – I mean I’ve done loads of research and I’m on a first name basis with l-lots of the booksellers.”

“Good, then I have something I need you to look up for me before September 1st.”

“Sure.”

“I only have the word,” Setsuna said. “It’s something Dumbledore’s searching for: Horcrux.”

The former Ravenclaw boy nodded, mousy curls flopping over his eyes. He muttered the word to himself several times and took out his wand, summoning a parchment and quill that began jotting down what appeared to be book titles and shop names.

Setsuna left him to it and looked at Hamish. “Brush up on all the Defence and Charms knowledge you can in the next two weeks,” she told her former student. “And make sure you meet us at Kings Cross on September 1st. We’ll be escorting the Order’s children to the train.”

“You got it.”

Setsuna nodded and looked to her fellow Outer Senshi. “We have work to do.”

~ _I Solemnly Swear I Am Up To No Good_ ~


	3. The Horcrux Hunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The inner senshi return to Britain, and as September first arrives at last, Setsuna tries to head off a future she doesn't like, upsetting some premade and yet-to-be-made plans in the process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the lateness. It's kind of complicated to explain but suffice to say it is more difficult to write in my current location than my previous ones, and the release of Pokemon Go was a very very effective distraction from all the writing I would have done otherwise. I'm getting better at writing here though, and I've passed level 5 so I feel I can take the game at a more leisurely pace. Your next chapter will most likely be here sooner.
> 
> Links to the OWL scores as promised. Click: [Senshi OWL Results](http://quidblr.tumblr.com/post/146454365064/senshi-owl-results) I did want to get to Hogwarts and the new OCs in this chapter, but I think I prefer ending it here. The next one will also be out sooner since I now have the formatting of it more clearly laid out (and it will, at last be Hogwarts-centric!)
> 
> Finally Disclaimer: see previous disclaimers.

**The Horcrux Hunt**

_She was looking into the Aqua Mirror and something white flashed across the screen: the corner of a cloak. She reached for it._ _  
And then she had fallen through the glass and she turned round and round in the darkness._

_For all that it was her own talisman, inside it still resembled Nehellenia's mirrors enough to make her shiver. She saw the hem of the white cloak from the corner of her eye and whipped around._

_He was here: the wizard in white, just as he had appeared in Diagon. His hands were clasped before him, hidden by the long draping sleeves of his robe. His head was bowed and his white hood hung low, masking every feature save the small smirk on his lips._

_"Who are you," she demanded, as the murky depths within the mirror rippled._ _  
As the motion in the space around them passed, she could distinguish shapes behind the wizard – bodies. The many figures filled the space behind him, lit by the black glow of dark magic. Their faces were turned away. Many, she noted, wore normal, muggle clothes._

_She focused on the unknown wizard._ _“Who are you," she repeated. He was in her mirror after all. She clenched her fists, willing him to answer.  
The wizard unclasped his hands and lifted his arms, revealing sallow skin and boney wrists. His long, spindly fingers curled around the hem of his low-hanging hood. He began to pull it back._

_And as he did, a sharp wind blew past, chilling her. It whipped at the hems of his cloak and robes, turning them before her eyes into bits as small as grains of sand. And at once, he was nothing more than a swirl of white dust being swept away into the darkness._

_Something fell down through the air where he had been and she stepped forward, reaching her arm out, and gasped as the object landed in her open palm – a shriveled, blackened rose petal._

_She felt a presence within the mirror's depths and snapped her head up in time to see a storm of black petals rushing towards her. The wind ahead of them stung her face. She flinched back._

Michiru gasped awake, clutching the sheets close as she sat up straight in bed. She fumbled for the Aqua Mirror, resting alongside her wand on the bedside table.  
Nothing. No storms, no flowers, no mysterious wizard. She cursed and set the mirror down again, turning to the right side of the bed. It was empty, the duvet tossed carelessly aside.

_Where is Haruka?_

Michiru paused a moment, closing her eyes. Haruka was close; she could hear her voice through the wall, in Setsuna's old room... where Hotaru now slept.

She threw back the covers, grabbed her robe off the post at the end of the bed, and padded barefoot out into the hall before carefully turning the handle to Hotaru's door. She eased it open.

"I promise it won't happen," Haruka was whispering. She was sitting atop Hotaru's bed wearing her shorts from yesterday and a tee shirt that was on backwards. One of her legs was dangling off the side of the bed and the other was tucked close to her. She was holding Hotaru, whose head was tucked under her chin. "It's just a normal nightmare,"

"But Haruka," Hotaru worried. "It keeps happening."

"Normal nightmares can do that," Haruka murmured.

Michiru walked around the other side of the bed and returned Haruka's smile. She startled Hotaru when she sat down, and the girl threw herself at Michiru.

“She's right," Michiru told Hotaru as she rubbed her back. "I'll sometimes have the same dreams for a month or more and though they can be scary, I know they’re not real visions."

"How do you know?" Hotaru asked.

“Well," Michiru said, "usually I know because I’m dreaming of something I'm already afraid of."

Hotaru sighed. "Okay."

As she held her, Michiru felt the mattress bounce as Haruka got up, and then she turned when a purple light lit up the room from the Pygmie Puff's cage. Haruka picked it up off the top of the bookcase and put it right beside Hotaru's bed.

"We'll have to see what wizards have invented in the way of lamps," Haruka said, sitting down closer to Michiru and slinging an arm around her shoulders. She ruffled Hotaru's hair. "Cause otherwise we're just gonna have to buy you a room's worth of these fluff-balls."

Hotaru laughed a little, but grew quiet quickly. She pulled out of the hug and looked at the both of them. "When is Mama coming back"

Michiru looked to Haruka, who said: "For the Order meeting, she has a lot of research to do; that's what's keeping her so busy"

Hotaru nodded and bit her lip. "Is it cause of Papa?"  
"I... yes.” Haruka sighed. "She didn't know that would happen, Sweet Pea. She wants to make sure she knows why Lestrange surprised her."  
"I thought so," Hotaru said. "Is she avoiding me?"  
“No, no, no,” Haruka insisted. She looked to be floundering. “No, it’s,” She looked to Michiru.

“Does she blame herself?” Hotaru asked.

Michiru nodded. "You have to remember she’s governed time longer than anyone can ever fathom. It's left her with a bad habit of making everything that surprises her her fault."

"Then, we gotta convince her it's not so she'll stay with us again," Hotaru decided.

"That sounds like a good idea," Haruka said, leaning in and kissing Hotaru’s forehead. "Why don't you sleep on it?"

"Then Sunday," Michiru said, copying Haruka and tucking the blankets around Hotaru. "You can give her a lecture."

Hotaru yawned. "Okay."

From its cage, the Pygmy Puff squeaked, pawing at the bars. Haruka chuckled and bent down to open the cage. She picked up the glowing purple animal.

"No accidents, got it?" she told the animal in a stern voice. It nodded. "And," Haruka whispered to it. "You're gonna squeak like mad again if she has another dream right?"

The animal squeaked.

"Good fur-ball." Haruka grinned passing it down to Hotaru. "Try to get some sleep. Kay, Sweet Pea?"

"Kay." Hotaru yawned, smiling when the Pygmy Puff curled up next to her face.

"We'll see you tomorrow," Michiru promised, clasping Haruka's hand and leading her back to their room.

When they got back to bed, she reached for Haruka at the same time that Haruka reached for her. She snuggled close to her.

"And what woke you up?" Haruka murmured, kissing her hair.

"A dream."

"Real or not real?"

Michiru sighed, holding Haruka tighter. "I don't know."

~ _SMH_ ~

The weekend was a flurry of activity at Grimmauld place, with the order’s members rushing in and out reporting everything they could find on proficient Portkey crafters, factions of dark creatures flocking to Voldemort’s side, and of any possible hint at Ollivander’s or the Death Eaters’ possible location.

Professor Meioh though, Harry did not see until the weekly, full meeting of the Order was convened Sunday evening. She arrived first with Remus, who appeared more battered than Harry had seen him in years and sporting a bandage over half his face that had Molly Weasley bustling across the ground floor to fuss over him.

“I’m fine, Molly,” Remus tried to dismiss her as Professor Meioh vanished once more through her mysterious set of Doors. Remus smiled when Harry, Hotaru, and their friends rushed to meet them in the hallway.

“Oh but you must have been, _mauled_ ,” Molly bemoaned, “Ginny, dear, go get me that healer in-a-box kit, or…”

“Or I could help,” Hotaru suggested, pushing past Mrs. Weasley.

“Oh, no Hotaru, Mrs. Weasley said, trying to get back in front of her. “You just let us handle it. These kinds of injuries just aren’t the sort of thing you want to see – Harry, why don’t you and your friends go back to the dining room, hmm? We’ll have your dinner out soon.”

“Oh, _honestly_ Mum,” Ginny rolled her eyes. “You _know_ she was at the ministry in June,”

“Well yes, but I really think given everything,”

“I can heal it,” Hotaru insisted, looking seriously at Remus. “Can I please try to heal your face, Mr. Lupin?”

Remus hesitated. “Molly has a point: it is rather unsettling.”

“There, see,” Molly started. “Remus agrees with me.”

“I can handle it,” Hotaru said, motioning for Remus to unwrap the bandage.

Remus sighed. “If you’re sure… it doesn’t heal easily.”

“Neither do blood quills,” Hermione pointed out. “But you can barely see our scars.”

“Yeah – and Harry wrote with it a lot,” Ron said, bracing his arm against the wall to keep his mother from bustling past them.

“Oh dear” Mrs. Weasley shook her head, fluttering her hands at the increasingly frequent occurrence of her children being too independent for her liking. She continued to plead with Ron, Ginny, Harry, and then Hermione to see reason as Remus slowly unwrapped his face, wincing as he did. The bandages closest to his skin bore the distinct brown stains of blood that clearly spoke to the claw marks beneath.

“Bloody hell,” Ron gaped as Remus peeled the last of the bandages off the deep gashes that were carved across the left side of his head and nose. “What-er, who did that too you?”

“A rather disagreeable werewolf who disliked my ideas before the Moon rose – and,” he hunched so that Hotaru could examine the wounds. “Made that disagreement known once he’d transformed.”

“These look a few days old,” Hotaru lectured as her hands began to glow white. “You let them get infected.”

“Yes well,” Remus squinted his eyes shut as the light touched his face. “You do the best you can with werewolf wounds. They’re difficult”

Padfoot barked, weaving between Harry and Hermione and transforming back into Sirius at Hotaru’s side. “Don’t I know it,” Sirius announced. He raised his eyebrows, taking in the gashes that were knitting themselves back together. He swore. “Does that hurt?”

“No,” Remus said, squinting to try to see the end of his nose. “Goodness, that’s barely a scar.”

“I told you I could do it,” Hotaru smirked. Even Mrs. Weasley was speechless as the light on her hands dimmed and revealed Remus face in almost the exact same healthy condition it had been in when he’d left the previous week.

Hotaru finished her work, and Remus straightened up, running a hand over his nearly-smooth face. Sirius rubbed his chin and looked Remus up and down, before nodding. “You still look like hell,”

Remus rolled his eyes. “You’re one to talk.” He said, grinning when Sirius slung his arm around Remus shoulders.

“So’d you smooth talk any Wannabee Dark Lords over to our side?” Sirius asked as he led their group away from the entrance hall.

“I made several attempts,” Remus said glumly. “Opinions are quite polarized all over the country. And I’m not exactly anyone’s friend at the moment.”

“What for?” Harry blurted out.

“I guess he is the face of the Anti-Werewolf propaganda,” Hermione said. “They passed a lot of horrible laws after Remus left the defence position.”

“That is a very big reason,” Remus said, leaning on Sirius as they walked to the dining room where many of the Order were milling about before the meeting in the basement kitchen. “Another is that they know I don’t live as they do – they feel I come from a place of privilege and don’t truly appreciate how they’re forced to live.” He sighed. “Nor are they wrong. I’m quite spoiled.”

Sirius laughed. “Spoiled, he says: like he’s been raised with a gold spoon in his mouth. You’re full of it. _They’re full of it_ if they think you’ve got it any better than them.”

“Oh I don’t know about that,” Remus said. “I’ve got a roof over my head. Friends… family. That’s more than most of them have had in decades.”

“That’s more than you had for decades,” Sirius countered. And they stopped among the other Order members who’d emerged from the dining room and basement to listen to their bickering. Sirius nodded to Dumbledore. “We starting up soon?”

“In a few minutes,” Dumbledore said. “A few more are on their way.”

They weren’t left waiting long. As the Order chatted in the hall, several more pops sounded from the entrance hall. Fred and George, then Kingsley arrived, shortly followed by Alice and Frank Longbottom with Neville.

“Wotcher, Kingsley!” Tonks hollered as she came up the stairs with Michiru and Haruka. “Got anything new for us.”

“I do, as it happens,” his eyes drifted over all of the Hogwarts students. “Not for any of your prying ears.”

“Not to worry,” one of the twins began.

“They’ve gone through three extendible ears now,”

“And we’re not giving ‘em any more.”

“Charity has limits,” they finished.

“They say that cause they haven’t figured out the cat-repellent charm yet,” Ginny muttered to them all.

“We will be convening momentarily, I hope,” Dumbledore said, glancing at Michiru and Haruka.

“Not to worry, she’s here,” Michiru said, gesturing down the hall. At the very end, they all saw the familiar lavender light flood out of the entrance hall and then the crash of the umbrella stand being knocked to the ground, prompting a rousing, shrieking welcome from Mrs. Black…

Hotaru pushed past Harry and Neville and raced to the entrance hall as Sirius sighed and trudged forwards with his wand ready to deal with his mother’s portrait. He’d only gotten a few steps though before her deafening shouts ceased. Smoke filtered out of the entrance hall. A serene silence fell over the house once more, broken only by the clack of heels across the wood floor. Rei strutted out into the hallway, dousing the amethyst flame in her hands.

“I have been trying to burn the old hag for _years_ ,” Sirius muttered, walking forward to shake Rei’s hand. “Thank you. Please. Can you burn any of the other stubborn things in this house?”

Rei smirked. “I could try,” she shook Sirius hand gingerly. “As long as you don’t mind that the walls are ruined. The portrait startled me.”

“I’ll say,” Mina said as she walked out into the hall with Usagi. “Sorry – some of us are clumsy.”

“You tripped me,” Usagi pouted and then brightened when she saw the crowd of them. “Hermione! You’re here too!” She rushed up and hugged the other Gryffindor sixth year. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” She chanted as Makoto, Ami, and Setsuna approached them all at a more sedate pace, Hotaru hanging on Setsuna’s arm.

“Blimey, what’d Hermione do?” Ron asked.

“She and Ami helped me study!” Usagi grinned. “I got _five_ OWLs!”

“I got six,” Mina said, pointing her thumb at her chest.

“And each of them got two O’s,” Ami added when they’d joined them. “Which the both of you did all on your own – it’s quite impressive.”

“And you got almost all O’s!” Hermione exclaimed, breaking away from Usagi so she could hug Ami just as tightly. “You have _got_ to walk me through the Defence exam – You got an O on that, if I recall.”

“Yes – I was very surprised. It was quite challenging.”

“Oh it _was_!” Hermione said, threading her arm through Ami’s and marching her back into the dining room. “What did you put for question seven on the written portion – that’s the one I _must_ have failed on.”

“Here we go,” Ron muttered. “I’m a bit scared to be honest.”

“Now, Mr. Weasley,” Dumbledore chuckled. “It is uplifting to see all of you applying yourselves so thoroughly to scholarship – and,” he looked between Harry and Makoto. “I’m sure you’ll all have more to discuss than academics, as long as you’re both unafraid of revealing your strategies.”

“Strategies…” Harry muttered.

Makoto grinned. “I think he’s talking about this.” And she put her hand in the pocket of her jeans and whipped out a gleaming yellow and black badge.

“She’s the _Captain!”_ Ron gaped.

“Well I’m the most senior on the team now,” Makoto grinned. “Otherwise they’ve got to give it to Bradley, but he’s got to repeat a year so,” she shrugged. “It’s mine.”

“Oi!” Ron looked at Harry. “Does that mean you got Captain too – here I am thinking it’s Katie. When were you gonna tell me?”

“I-uh,” Harry stammered, running his hand through his hair. “I was sort of distracted.” He glanced at Hotaru. “You know, with stuff.”

“I’m sure you can all discuss it to your satisfaction over dinner,” Dumbledore said.

And beside him Mcgonagall flicked her wand towards the ornate Black family dining table, and said meal appeared with a swirl of emerald sparks and with it a breeze of steamy air, smelling of well roasted beef and vegetables, made all their mouths water.

“Splendid,” Dumbledore said to the students as the Order members in the hall made their way down into the basement. “Now if you’ll excuse us.”

“Just a moment,” Setsuna said, as the students turned towards the dining room. She let go of Hotaru and looked at Mina. “You’re going to join us.”

“Now, surely not,” Molly Weasley said. “She’s only sixteen.”

“She’s seventeen, actually,” Setsuna said. “And she’ll be eighteen in October.”

“I,” Mina looked around at the other Senshi and their Hogwarts friends. Ron had begun sputtering. But her fellow senshi were nodding at her.

“Tell us how it goes,” Makoto said.

“It will be good for the Order to see you as a leader,” Ami added.

“But…Usagi,” Minako turned to the other blond, standing on her left.

Usagi was grinning. She clapped her on Mina’s shoulder. “You go, and tell me what I need to know.” And she leaned in and whispered. “Besides – Ginny and I are going to talk about boys. You’re the one missing out.”

“If you don’t get your butt moving, I’ll take your place,” Rei threatened.

Mina looked at all of them and nodded. “Right.” And then she turned and followed Setsuna, waving to them as they went down the basement stairs.

“Why’s she get to go?” Ron pouted as Mina disappeared down the stairs, the door closing behind her.

“Cause she’s their leader,” Ginny sighed and clapped him on the shoulder as she walked past him towards the table full of food. “At least I’m not the only one stuck at the kids table,” she said, sliding into the empty seat beside Hermione.

The rest of them situated themselves around the table: Neville next to Ami, Ron and Harry beside him, Makoto, Rei, and finally Hotaru and Usagi. Hotaru took the chair beside Rei, leaving Usagi, Hermione noted with interest, the seat at the head of the table.

As they all sat down to eat and Ron started off the conversation with who had been knocked out of the running for their career-choice by their potions OWL, Usagi leaned down to Hotaru.

“Have you been okay?” she asked her.

Hotaru nodded. “Yeah.” She bit her lip. “We’ve gotta make Lestrange pay.”

“Don’t worry,” Usagi smiled. “We will.”

~ _SMH_ ~

Mina had drawn stares from all around the table at the Order meeting, but not so much due to her age, as her demeanour. She’d sat with much more seriousness than could usually be seen from the one-time-pop-idol right in between Setsuna and Haruka at the end of the table, and she’d kept up a discussion of strategy with Mad Eye Moody long enough to garner the respect of he and all the other active and former aurors in the room.

“I am rather impressed with her,” Mcgonagall had confided to Setsuna after the Order meeting. “And I suppose it will put Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter at ease to know they have a friend in these meetings.”

“They do have just as much stake in this war as we do,” Setsuna’d said. “It is their future on the line. And, besides that: this will be very good for Mina.” The leader of the inner senshi, for all her bravado, could do with the confidence boost she’d get from earning the trust of others. And, given there were futures she might find herself giving orders even to Haruka, it would be beneficial for her to begin to see herself as an adult.

Setsuna and Mcgonagall were right in the case of the students too. Mina being able to confide Order happenings to them made Harry, Ginny, and even Ron less irritable at being bared from downstairs. And once Ron and Ginny had left Sunday night, Mina gave her senshi their assignments, ones which Harry and Hermione eagerly insisted they help with. The seven of them were to watch over Diagon Alley in case of attacks during the final two weeks before term.

There’d be three attacks for certain, as Setsuna’d informed the whole Order: one that Wednesday, and two the final week before school when many muggleborn first years would be going to get their school supplies. The senshi would be needed; Setsuna and Severus had both confirmed the Order members would be needed at other sights: muggleborn shops and businesses throughout magical and muggle Britain.

Setsuna had foreseen the senshi having no trouble with their assignment, and they more than reassured her of it Wednesday. They easily nabbed Crabbe Sr. as he fled his planned attack on the second-hand robe shop Wednesday, and Harry spent enough time commending Hermione’s quick thinking in one attack against an Ogre that she was well on the way to recovering from the hit her confidence had suffered against Dolohov in June.

All of this, Setsuna watched from afar leading up to September first. While the Order and the Senshi defended Britain against the Death Eaters, Setsuna devoted all of her time the last two weeks of August to the plans she had for September first, and for several events likely to happen over the course of the year.

Bellatrix Lestrange might have found a way to evade her, but Setsuna’d determined over the course of August that so far, she was the only Death Eater able to do so. She could easily track the paths and possible futures of the others: including young Draco Malfoy, despite his nerves and frenzied jumping from one half-baked plan to another as the summer drew to a close. His trip to the notorious antique shop in Diagon had caught her attention a month past, as had the many futures where he wasted precious school hours trying to repair yet another barbarous Wizarding attempt to meddle with space. She’d more than happily head off that plan if she could.

Could was the operative word, Setsuna found out on the Thursday before term began, as she found herself faced with a problem she had not anticipated: getting the infernal room of requirement to show her the correct door.

“I need the room with the vanishing cabinet,” garnered her a hobby shop’s worth of such items and none of them were the particular cabinet she needed. “I need the Cabinet matching the one in Borgin and Burkes,” had gotten her a door very similar to Borgin’s front door that opened onto a cabinet of the exact same make and model, but unremarkable in every other way. At that point she began walking through more general and generally ridiculous possibilities ranging from: “I need the portal out of Hogwarts,” (For which she got, not a door, but a large portrait of a young blond girl) to “I need the room of Dark objects,” (which resulted in the sight of many war relics she’d just as soon banish from memory).

“I’d leave that one alone.” Severus Snape’s voice surprised her and caused her to slam the door to the Room of Dark Objects rather roughly, given how little she was used to being surprised. Severus nodded to the Room of Dark Objects “As I recall, there may be a manticore prowling that one, assuming the egg has hatched by now.”

“Well as I don’t think I care to ever find out what a manticore is, that seems like a good idea,” Setsuna said. She sighed and turned away from the Room of Requirement, rubbing her forehead. “I do not understand this room.”

“It fares better with needs than requests,” Severus said. “Or at least that’s what I’ve observed.”

“Well that’s ridiculous,” Setsuna said. “I clearly need something that’s stored inside and it is being decidedly uncooperative.”

Severus nodded. “I know the room that you need,” he said. “Though you’ll forgive me if I elect not to divulge the phrase that will get you in at this… present time.”

“Why?” Setsuna demanded.

Severus stood beside her, regarding the door to the Room of Dark Things as it vanished. “You are aware of the predicament one of my students has muddled into.”

“Only that whatever it is will lead him to setting Death Eaters loose on the castle,” she said, electing to keep the consequences it might hold for the headmaster to herself. “Which accessing the vanishing cabinet will allow me to prevent.”

“I am not keen on that turn of events either,” Severus said. “However, I fear what kinds of erratic stunts Draco Malfoy might feel are required if the long-term goal of repairing the vanishing cabinet is stolen from under his nose.”

“His future does have several paths towards dire consequences at the moment,” Setsuna confided. “I take it you would like to help him avoid those.”

“It is… more of a need, but yes, I do wish to help him.” Severus flicked his eyes around at the painting-covered walls. “And this is not a conversation I care to have around so many gossip prone portraits.”

“Well,” the stuffy looking portrait of a healer on their left huffed and crossed his arms.

“My point,” Severus said.

Setsuna thought a moment, “There’s no such portraits in my office.”

“Then why don’t we re-convene there,” Severus agreed, leading the way towards the stairs. “And I can tell you about Draco.”

~ _SMH_ ~

Harry Potter ran through the barrier between platforms 9 and 10 and grinned at the sight of the scarlet steam engine beyond the packs of families putting their children on the train. Then, as Minako Aino was doing in front of him, he looked around the platform.

The Order presence today was heavy. No one thought a Death Eater attack was likely at the station, not with so many purebloods present, but Setsuna and Dumbledore had both agreed completely, that one could not bet surely on anything these days, and Setsuna had been particularly paranoid about Bellatrix Lestrange of late.

“Sorry!” a blond woman on the edge of the crowd shouted as she tripped over a first year’s cart. _Tonks?_ Harry wondered. His eyes continued to scan around as Mad-eye Moody and Padfoot led the large group comprising the senshi and the Order’s children into the crowds.

“D’you think that’s Mundungus over there?” Neville whispered to Harry, pushing his cart up beside his. He pointed out a ginger haired man in a fine-looking set of conductor’s robes.

“He looks too good to be Dung,” Harry muttered. Then he saw what Neville had – students and parents passing the conductor, giving him a wide berth. “Or maybe…”

“There’s some smells even the best charms can’t mask,” the portly old woman with the mole on her chin said beside Neville. Looking at her, in her conservatively cut, plaid robes and very wrinkled face, Harry had to admit it was impossible to tell this was the increasingly vivacious Alice Longbottom, nor could he distinguish any of Frank Longbottom in the short, liver-spotted man walking by Alice’s side. Their disguise as two of the Longbottom’s distant cousins was so well done that they barely even resembled the family matriarch, bustling along beside them.

“Put your wand away, _Meredith_ ,” Augusta Longbottom, muttered to Alice. “And you too, _Darius_.”

Harry saw Frank Longbottom’s disguised face flush as he tucked his wand slowly back into his sleeve. Alice glanced at her mother-in-law then lowered her arm to her side; her wand was less obvious there, but no less ready to cast.

“Constant Vigilance still means subtlety,” Moody reminded them gruffly.

“I don’t think any of us can really be subtle,” Minako countered. Harry thought she kept almost as wary an eye around them as Moody. He turned to the back of the group. Haruka and Setsuna looked just as on edge as the tail end of their group made its way into the crowd. Even the snake animagus coiled around Hotaru’s neck had its head scanning through the mass of people.

“You still want to keep a low profile if you can,” Moody was saying. “If you can’t blend in, you at least keep to yourself how many of you can cast a good curse.”

They made their way to the very last carriage on the train, meeting the blond woman Harry’d guessed was Tonks at the door.

“Wotcher,” she grinned, confirming his guess as she stepped aside to let Setsuna board the train.

“Carriage is clean,” Moody said.

“I already scanned it,” Tonks said, the ends of her hair going slightly red.

Moody trained the full force of his magical eye on her. “Never hurts to take a second look.”

Setsuna returned to them moments later, levitating Mina’s three pink suitcases up into the carriage. Tonks, the Longbottoms, and the Weasleys followed suit, and their luggage was loaded onto the carriage in record time. Padfoot yipped, bounding up the train steps as the other adults disembarked. Setsuna gave him a bemused look as she beckoned the students onto the train. Padfoot’s tail thumped against the floor as he jerked his head towards the inside of the carriage, encouraging all the teens to board.

“Alright, alright,” Mina muttered. “This train’s really going to the dogs,” she said, prompting a groan from Makoto and Ron, and glares from Moody and Rei. Padfoot barked and thumped his tail faster, his tongue hanging out of his grinning mouth. “See, _he_ thinks it’s funny.”

“That delinquent thinks his name is funny,” Moody said gruffly. Outside the Order families gave hugs and kisses to their children. Rather than moving to their compartment right away, Mina and the senshi elected to wait for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to hug their children, Hermione, and Harry, and then for Mrs. Weasley to hug Harry again, and for Neville’s parents to hug him four times. Once all goodbyes had been made, the whole group followed Setsuna and Padfoot onto the train. They guided the group to the end of the carriage where, instead of two compartments on either side, there was now a compartment door right in the middle of the hall. Mina grinned as Setsuna pushed it open. “Woah.”

The two compartments had been merged: their seats wrapping around the whole room, and there was a long oval table placed in the middle. Windows covered almost all of the three outside walls.

“Setsuna this is amazing!” Usagi gaped as she followed them into the huge room. “You’re really good at these.”

“You can’t do anything too outrageous with them,” Setsuna said. “Space becomes temperamental with too much manipulation. But,” she flicked her wand and all the windows merged into glass pane that wrapped around the compartment. “These are an interesting exercise.”

“The word she’s looking for is fun,” Haruka said leaning in the doorway, she nodded to Setsuna. “Time to go?”

“It is,” she nodded to the students. “Enjoy the journey, I believe I shall meet you in Hogsmeade.”

Padfoot transformed into Sirius then, out of view of the platform. He held out his arms to Harry. “I do get a hug right.”

Harry grinned. “Course,” and stepped up to Padfoot.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure Remus sends you plenty of chocolate for not being here,” Sirius said.

“Tell him not to feel bad,” Harry said. The full moon, after all, had been just two nights ago, and Remus was still not fully recovered. He’d insisted on setting an alarm in order to see Harry off, and Sirius had spent two hours trying to figure out the counter charm. “Git always picks the most obscure spells,” Sirius had muttered as he and Harry’d scoured the library the night before.

Across the compartment, Michiru’d taken her human form too. And she, Setsuna, and Haruka had wrapped Hotaru in a three-way hug.

“You don’t have to visit,” Hotaru was saying. “And _you_ don’t have to check on me every day,” she said to Setsuna. “I’ll be fine.”

“Yes, but Sweet Pea,” Haruka said. “We’re the ones who’re going to miss you. You have to write us every day.”

Hotaru smirked and shook her head. “I’m going to have more homework, you know.”

“Fine, every other day,” Haruka said

Michiru chuckled and adjusted the collar of Hotaru’s shirt. “Tell us if you need anything.”

“I’ll be fine,” Hotaru insisted, bouncing on her toes.

“We know you will,” Setsuna said, ruffling her hair. She nodded to Haruka and Michiru. “They’re waiting outside.”

“Who?” Usagi wondered, as all the students and Padfoot turned and looked out the window.

Rigel Fawcett and Hamish Stebbins were outside, both waving towards one of the carriages ahead of theirs.

“Rigel has a sister in the fifth year, I think,” Hermione said.

“He does, and they came to see her off today,” Setsuna said. “They’re coming along to help us with something.”

“Is it dangerous?” Usagi worried.

“As much as any mission is,” Setsuna said.

“Then we should go with you,” Usagi said.

Setsuna shook her head. “It is not a task that requires all of us. But you’ll be needed afterwards. And rest assured, if anything did go wrong,” she nodded to Rei. “Michiru or I would get you a message.”

“Be careful,” Usagi told them. And the three of them nodded to her, and waved to them all as they left the compartment.

The students and Sirius rushed to the windows and watched the three outer senshi meet Fawcett and Stebbins on the platform. They gathered in a circle and Setsuna held her hand out between them. There was a small, silver key in her open palm.

“That’s a time key,” Makoto realized “She’s not time traveling, is she?”

“She might simply be trying to move them to Time Dimension so they can move to another location,” Ami guessed. “Perhaps she doesn’t want to attract the attention summoning the doors would cause.

All of them waved to the students one more time, before suddenly vanishing in what Harry thought looked simply like a very flashy apparation.

“Do you know what they’re doing?” He asked first Hotaru and then Mina, but both shook their heads. “Do you?” He asked Sirius.

Sirius shrugged. “Know it’s something important though.” He jumped a little when the train’s whistle shrieked. “And that would be my cue.” He saluted the students. “Good luck in Defence – the professor’s a real git.”

“Great.” Ron said as Padfoot dashed out of the carriage and the train shuddered, preparing to move. “As long as he’s not another Umbridge.”

All of them watched the spot where the Stebbins, Fawcett, and the Outer Senshi had disappeared as the train began rolling forwards.

“Hey,” Hermione realized. “Setsuna said she’d meet us in Hogsmeade, not at the feast. Do you think that’s related to their mission?”

“Maybe,” Mina said. “Wonder what she’s gonna need us for.” She looked at Rei. “Any ideas?”

But Rei shook her head. “Not a clue.”

~ _SMH_ ~

As the Hogwarts Express was leaving Kings Cross, the Time Doors materialized in an overgrown bunch of bushes right off an old country road halfway between Manchester and York.

“Where are we?” Rigel Fawcett asked, stepping out into the brush.

“Cobblers Lane,” Setsuna said. “A kilometre outside of a small village called Little Hangleton,” she motioned them towards the road. “This way; we have a limited timeframe.” She led them to the right, down the overgrown dirt road. “We are looking for a magically concealed path,” she told Michiru.

“Well it won’t stay concealed for long,” Michiru said, the Aqua Mirror flashed as she pulled it from her purse. She tapped the glass with her wand and looked up after a long pause. “This way.”

They walked for several minutes along the edge of the road, never encountering any cars.

“It’s secluded enough,” Hamish Stebbins observed. “But why would Voldemort hide a Horcrux here?”

“It does seem like you’d want to hide something like that more securely,” Fawcett gulped. He’d read far more about them than he’d shared with the others, and the details had made his stomach turn. “Course, it might be secure enough on its own.”

“That is a certainty,” Setsuna said. “As to Voldemort’s reasoning…” She closed her eyes. “This is a place from his past, of which Dumbledore could tell you more than I.”

They walked in silence a little longer before Michiru stopped in front of a wide, dead tree, its cracked branches dangling perilously overhead. Michiru walked right underneath them and up to the trunk. She closed her eyes, hovering her wand over the bark, then reached up, and tapped her wand-tip to a particular spot.

The trunk cracked down the middle, warping aside and revealing many overgrown brambles and bushes between which a footpath was just barely visible.

“Hang on,” Rigel said. He held out his wand to his forehead, drawing a rune onto his skin as he muttered a spell. The symbol glowed and faded, and he opened his eyes, scanning over the bushes and brambles. “These will recognize charms,” he said. “They’ll regrow faster and larger if we use any cutting hexes.”

“Then we’ll get through the non-magical way,” Haruka said, conjuring her Space Sword. She walked ahead of Michiru and sliced through one branch of a bush with the blade. It fell into the dirt, but did not regrow. “Are we just following the path?” she asked Setsuna.

Setsuna nodded. “Our destination is the cottage half a kilometre ahead.”

The Space Sword made getting through the overgrowth simple work. And as they walked, Michiru glanced warily between the mirror and the path ahead, and Rigel’s eyes grew wider the closer they got.

“There’s a lot of darkness up there,” Michiru commented.

“Repellent charms,” Rigel began to list, reaching out for Hamish’s hand. “Jinxes for… blinding, attracting werewolves, paralysis.”

“I expected something deadlier, actually,” Haruka said as she hacked through a large bramble bush. They could see the dilapidated roof of an old cottage ahead.

“Maybe he didn’t want anyone who found this dead,” Michiru said. “At least not right away.” She looked at Rigel. “Are there any charms that might alert anyone we’re here?”

“Um… yes.” Rigel frowned. “If we don’t… this is strange. I can _see_ the rune work on the building.” He squinted. “If we don’t… speak the door guard’s language?”

“I don’t see a guard,” Hamish said. “Just the door.”

“There is a guard,” Setsuna said. “Though Michiru should have no trouble with it.”

The only sign of any guardian of the cottage though was the dead snake nailed to the rotten wooden door. Michiru frowned at Setsuna.

“Am I meant to speak snake?” She asked.

“Parseltongue?” Rigel wondered. “I didn’t think Animagi could do that.”

“Most can’t,” Setsuna agreed. “That said,” she told Michiru. “Your natural abilities might help you mimic the language.” She raised her fist. “We have to knock on the door.”

“Alright,” Michiru said, her form shrinking and twisting into that of the aqua and dark-blue snake.

Setsuna rapped her fist against the wood and the dead snake’s head lifted away from it. Its two milky white eyes peered at them. Haruka tensed, raising the sword, and Rigel shrank back towards Hamish, making a disgusted face.

Michiru rose up to the dead snake’s height, meeting its challenging gaze with her own serpentine glare.

She concentrated as its mouth opened, revealing small, yellowed fangs. It hissed. And she reared her head back. She understood.

_What Do You Want?_

The snake animagus swivelled around and looked at Setsuna. _Does it want a password?_ Michiru thought to her.

_Only the correct language._

Michiru swivelled back around, looking at the snake.

 _Open the door_ , she demanded, feeling sure of the sounds even if they were no language she knew.

The eyes of the dead snake flashed green and it went limp as (within the door) the old, rusted tumblers groaned and clicked. When Setsuna pushed it, the door creaked open.

“Space has been disturbed here,” Setsuna informed them as they took in the endless labyrinth inside – comprised of walls that seemed to be grown out of vines. “I believe we need to be very careful of these plants.”

“Devil’s Snare,” Rigel said. “They crush you if you touch them – and they do it faster if you move.”

“They’re weak to sunlight… and fire,” Hamish said, raising his wand.

“Yes, but I think that will alert,” Rigel cleared his throat, “alert Voldemort that we’re here.”

“We can get through,” Setsuna said. “Provided we walk exactly the right path – and do not touch them.”

And she led the way in, the only lights the faint glow of the Senshi’s three talismans. They walked carefully through the middle of the winding paths, Setsuna and Michiru in front and Haruka at the back with her sword drawn. Rigel looked all around the dim labyrinth, distracted by all the spell-work built into the cottage. So intrigued was he that as they continued down the corridors without encountering danger Hamish had to hold his arm to keep him from straying too far from their path.

“What would happen if we took a wrong turn?” Haruka asked. “Say, if we had to run out of here?”

“The Devil’s Snare would wake up,” Rigel said. “It would trap you, and then if you attempted to struggle, it would kill you. If you tried to set it aflame…” He swallowed. “Then I suppose Voldemort would appear.”

“It seems a bit too easy to get in,” Michiru said. “Remind you of anything?” she said, looking back towards Haruka.

“A trap, you mean?” She smirked. “Yeah I’m getting that feeling – like it’s designed to lead you right where you want to go and keep you there.”

“Is that light there where we want to go?” Hamish asked, peering through the walls of the labyrinth at the white glow trickling through the vines. “What is that?”

“Magic of a sort,” Setsuna shook her head. “This is where my sight becomes muddled.”

“Why?”

“Because my sight is clearest when people have made decisions. And the events ahead will be contingent solely on our reactions. The magic we are approaching, as far as I can tell, affects every person differently. So there is very little way for me narrow down a clear path.” She looked at all of them.

“But you do see us coming out of this, right?” Haruka asked.

“Its likely,” Setsuna assured her. “But then again, there are many likely futures.”

A few moments later, they turned a corner and could see the light: a glowing circle on the floor that travelled all the way to the ceiling of the cottage, warping and twisting like wind. Inside it there appeared to be a pedestal.

“Should we transform?” Michiru asked. But Setsuna shook her head.

“Right now, we pass for normal witches,” she said. “The surge of magic caused by our transformation would not register as normal. It would be sure to alert the protections over this place.”

Then they exited the final passageway of the labyrinth: circling around the column of light in the center of it. There was indeed a pedestal inside.

“The spell around it…” Rigel squinted, bending down to get closer to the cylinder of light. It’s specific to the person…

“Only Voldemort can get in,” Haruka guessed.

“I… no it’s very difficult to make these spells that specific… The rune and spell crafting work becomes too complex. You keep it general. This is the same sort they use to repel muggles or bar under 17s from entering a place. They even use these on the girls dorms to keep the boys from entering…” Rigel’s eyes widened and he looked up at Setsuna. “This is why it's a good idea that we’re here… I can pass the protection.” He stood, clenching and unclenching his hands, and nodded to all of them. “I’m a pureblood male: like Voldemort. That’s got to be how he’s configured it.” He closed his eyes and nodded again. “I can do it.” Rigel raised his wand and stepped into the light barrier.

And shouted. He was thrown back, only a snap stopping charm from Setsuna jerked him back in time to save him from crashing into the walls of Devil’s Snare.

“But, but,” Rigel sputtered as Hamish helped him off the ground. “But why would he restrict himself from entering? Unless…” He blinked. “The rumors were _true_.”

“What rumors?” Haruka asked.

“That – that he’s a half-blood.” Rigel explained, dusting off his robes. “But – but I thought that was only to irritate the Slytherins?”

Hamish looked between Rigel and the light barrier, and then at his own hands. “Then I can do it,” he said, stepping up to the barrier. “Muggle father, pureblood mother.” He walked right up to the light barrier. “I’m as half-blood as they come.” And without hesitating he walked right through.

It was difficult to see Hamish through the waves of the light barrier, though they stood as close to it as they could.

“What’s in there?” Haruka demanded.

“It’s a ring,” Hamish said. “Bloody old too, by the look of it.” They saw his hand hover over the pedestal.

“There’s lots of magic around that,” Michiru warned.

“Be careful,” Rigel said. “I can’t see what it is.”

“Well…” Hamish hand inched closer to the top of the pedestal. “I’ve got to try something.” They heard the scrap as the metal of the ring was lifted off its stone resting place. “Yeah… I reckon the magic’s just the ring. It’s – _bloody hell!_ ”

“What? What?” Rigel demanded

“It’s the coat of arms… Rigel it’s like Beedle’s stories. It’s on the stone!”

“What stone?”

“The stone’s in the ring.” Hamish whirled around to look at Rigel, and his face (what they could see of it through the barrier) looked giddy. “Rigel – it’s a Hallow. They’re _real!_ ”

“It’s a Horcrux,” Setsuna reminded him. “And as we’ve just said it’s bound to have a lot of dark magic –”

“No. No. You’re wrong,” Hamish said.

“Do you _hear_ yourself?” Rigel gaped. “That thing’s addling you. Get out of there.” He pressed into the barrier and was blown back again, caught by Haruka’s hand grabbing the back of his robes.

“Of course I do, it makes perfect sense he’d want the Hallows. This is amazing.”

“What the hell is a Hallow?” Haruka demanded.

“From the story: there’s a ring, and a cloak, and a wand. And their gifts from death – and _this_ one’s the Resurrection Stone.” Hamish laughed. “Rigel, I’m going to see my parents.”

“Hamish!” Setsuna shouted. “Get out here. Give it to me right now. Right. Now.”

“In a second – we can share it. I promise. I just – I need to try it first.”

“ _Hamish!”_ Rigel shouted. All three of the senshi raised their wands and the talismans as, within the barrier, Hamish put the small, black and silver object on his hand.

And screamed. He doubled over.

“ _HAMISH!_ ” He was still within the barrier.

“It…it isn’t working.” Hamish groaned. “My hand,”

“He’s activated a curse,” Michiru said.

“Hamish,” Setsuna said coolly. “You need to get out.”

“How? It’s – it’s too bright? I’m stuck – gah!”

“Stuck…” Rigel ran a hand through his mousy hair. “You just got in – oh Merlin.”

“I can’t feel my hand!” Hamish shouted. “Where are you? Where am I?”

“He can’t get out on his own,” Haruka said.

“Rigel!” Hamish sobbed.

Rigel was frozen, on his knees just like Hamish was, his hands hovering just a hairs-breath from the barrier. His face was very pale in the coolly-lit room, and breathed in short, panicky gasps.

“Fawcett,” Haruka said, and his head snapped up. “You’ve got to reach him.”

“She’s right,” Setsuna said. “Stay calm.”

Rigel bit his lip and nodded. “H-hamish, I’m right here.”

“Where?” he whimpered. “Oh, God, what did I do?”

“I’m right outside – the light’s not going to hurt you, Hamish. You got in there. You can get out.”

“I don’t know!”

“Just try – close your eyes. Listen to me, alright.”

Hamish hunched over further, moaning in pain.

“It’ll be okay, Hamish. J-just hold out your hand. That’s it.” They all hovered close as the tips of Hamish’s fingers passed through the barrier. Rigel strained to grasp them. “You have to stretch further.”

“I can’t! It hurts!”

“You can! Come on, Hamish. Try. For me.” Hamish shouted and fell forwards, as all of his fingers and then his palm passed shakily through the barrier. Rigel grasped his hand in his own, lighter one, and heaved with all his might, pulling the larger boy out into the room.

Rigel scrambled up and rolled Hamish onto his back. “His hand!” he rushed to Hamish’s right side – where his wand arm appeared paralyzed in a bent position. The skin around his ring finger was an awful, decayed, black.

“It’s going to kill him.” Rigel said in a strangled voice, grabbing Hamish by the wrist and tugging on the ring. “It won’t come off!”

“It’s spreading!” Hamish shouted.

“It’s getting into his blood.” Setsuna said. “The curse is working like a poison.”

“The-then we’ve got to contain it!” Fawcett said. “There’s spells – I – I’ve learned them, I swear.”

“If it reaches his heart,” Michiru warned, “It will kill him.”

“Then we don’t let it,” Haruka said. She shoved Rigel aside and knelt next to Hamish. “Fawcett how far’s the curse got?”

“His arm.”

“Good.” She said, pulling Hamish’s arm away from him. “You’d better know a healing spell.” And she raised the Space Sword. Rigel shouted. Haruka sliced the weapon down – right through Hamish’s shoulder. He gasped, his eyes widened as the delirium that had entrapped him lifted. Then he screamed, diving away from Haruka and clutching the stump of his shoulder with his left hand.

And on the ground, his severed arm changed rapidly from a healthy brown to a cracked and decayed black. His wand hand disintegrated around the cursed ring.

Setsuna and Rigel were already at his side, the blood from the wound easily stemmed by the simplest of tourniquet charms.

And once his shouting had faded, they could all hear the footsteps pounding through the maze.

Remus and Sirius burst into the center of the labyrinth, both their wands drawn, just ahead of the imposing figure of Albus Dumbledore. His eyes went immediately to the ring on the floor, the coat of arms on it gleaming prominently in the light of the still glowing barrier.

Setsuna glanced at him. “Are you alright, Hamish,” she asked the young Order member. And when he had nodded, hand still clutching his shoulder, she rose and stood between the ring and Dumbledore.

“You know what it is, then?” Dumbledore said.

“I forsaw you telling me so, yes.” Setsuna told him. “But you didn’t know until just now that it’s the Resurrection Stone.”

Sirius jaw dropped. “The _hallows_.”

“From the name,” Setsuna continued, “I assume it brings back the dead.”

“Only the facsimiles of them,” Dumbledore said. “Still, as the stories go – able to walk and speak with all the knowledge of their living selves… if I could see it.”

“Don’t be a fool,” Setsuna said. “There’s a compulsion on the ring, you’re as drawn to it as Hamish.”

Dumbledore blinked, pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head. “Of course, and it is an important piece in Voldemort’s immortality.”

“He’s modified the stone?” Remus asked.

“He’s made it a Horcrux,” Rigel said. And both Sirius and Remus gasped. “We need to destroy it.”

“Plans for such are already in place,” Dumbledore said. “Unless you foresee Ms. Tonks having any trouble getting Miss. Weasley to hand over her sword.”

“She may be distracted by a more pressing issue, but no matter,” Setsuna said, looking down at the gleaming ring. She could feel the compulsion on it the longer she stared, a need growing in her to perhaps see Mr. Tomoe and apologize… _no_. Setsuna shook her head. _It’s still cursed._

“The senshi can handle it,” Setsuna told Dumbledore. “I’ll bring them to your office from Hogsmeade. We can resolve this before the feast.” She saw Remus move to Hamish side, kneeling down next to the boy and casting a few more charms on his bloody stump. “You’re very lucky,” she told Dumbledore. “Had you come here by yourself as you originally wanted, you would have been dead before the school year was out.” She tilted her head, looking at Sirius and Remus. “That was your plan for a very long time. Why did you change it?”

“Well, I dare say for the same precautionary reasons you have come here ahead of me,” Dumbledore told her.

“Had you come here with them along, the resulting events would have seen you dead sooner,” Setsuna said. She turned, bending down and picking up the ring. She hastened to tuck it into the pocket of her robes. “And you’d taken the secrets you have that ensure Voldemort’s demise with you.”

Dumbledore looked grim. “There needs to be more time.” He sighed. “No matter, we will have to return to Hogwarts.” He looked at Hamish, whom Rigel and Remus had helped off the floor. “I may not know the exact curse,” he told him. “But it seems, if it did not have the chance to move into the rest of your body, you should make a full recovery. I’d advice against checking into Mungos, they’ll surely recognize the traces of dark magic, and I am not sure the loyalties of their staff – suspicious items have been making their way to patients of interest a lot in the past year.”

“I’m fine,” Hamish gasped, looking down at his feet and away from the stump on his right side. “My wand,”

Sirius waved his and summoned Hamish’s wand, which lifted itself free of the pile of dust and landed in Sirius’ hand.

“Let's take him back to Grimmauld,” Michiru said.

“A good idea,” Setsuna told her. “We are still on a tight timeframe – the Death Eaters plan to attack a village in Oxford in an hour.”

The large group of them wound through the labyrinth together, Setsuna keeping her wand close to the pocket where the ring seemed to burn. They left the building and Haruka’s sword ensured a quick escape from the property.

Once they were back beyond the enchanted tree, Setsuna raised the Garnet Rod to summon the doors. Before she went through with Dumbledore, Haruka and Michiru each put a hand on her arms.

“Be careful with that thing,” Haruka said.

Setsuna nodded. “I’ll let you know what happens tonight.”

~ _I Solemnly Swear I Am Up To No Good_ ~


	4. Chibi Ickle Firsties

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now come the OCs whose reception I’m most curious about (as they would appear in any Crystal Tokyo era fics that I wrote). So let me know if you like them, if they can be written better, all that jazz. To be honest I’m very nervous everyone’s gonna hate them, but I’m crossing my fingers. (Anyone reading Age of Aquarius: You’re about to meet an older version of someone you’re all very curious about. XD)
> 
> And on another note: a lot of the Ravenclaw scene was written to "it's over isn't it" from the latest Steven Universe. I listened to it on repeat for hours and I am not okay. XD It was so beautiful and beautifully gay.
> 
> UPDATE: I accidentally didn't save the updated draft when I posted this this morning, so I apologize for the wealth of typos that were here previously. I've since fixed them.
> 
> Disclaimer: See Chapter One

 

**Chibi Ickle Firsties**

When they arrived at Hogwarts early in the evening, the group of Senshi and the Order’s children left their compartment with the same number of people as they had entered it, but missing one member of their party. For Luna Lovegood had joined their number shortly after the train had departed Kings Cross. And Harry Potter had left with Neville following a summons from the new professor who was apparently riding the train. He’d come back briefly afterwards to grab his invisibility cloak (muttering about Malfoy) and had thus far not returned.

“Still haven’t found him,” Ginny said when she, Hermione, and Ron returned to the compartment shortly after the whistle signalling their imminent arrival in Hogsmeade blew. The train’s brakes were already screeching as it approached the station. “We enlisted Tonks’ help and everything – she’s still looking.”

“Maybe he’s just taking his time in the loo,” Neville suggested as the train jerked to a halt. “I mean – nothing can have happened to him on the train right. Not with the Order and a professor on board.”

“Dunno, mate,” Ron said, looking nervously down the car as the other compartment doors opened. “It’s Harry we’re talking about.”

“Oh,” Hermione fretted. “What if it leaves with him on it?”

“Can it do that?” Makoto asked.

“I – I don’t know.” Hermione pulled on her hair, looking anxiously around as the final whistle blew – two long shrieks that let them all know the train would not remain stopped for long.

“Maybe he’s got off farther down the train,” Ami suggested. “I’m sure he’ll be there if we go outside.”

“We need to leave anyways,” Mina said, pointing out the windows. “Look.”

Beyond the growing crowd of students on the station platform was Setsuna, standing under the shadow of the station’s roof about a head and a half taller than most of the students. Her bright, burgundy robes caught the eye immediately amid the looming, grey sky and the sea of plain black robes around her. Despite the highland breeze that blew the students clothes and hair and had them clutching their black caps, Setsuna’s hair and attire remained perfectly still. The Garnet orb on her staff gleamed even with the cloudy day.

“Come on,” Minako said. “We’ll find Harry outside. She’s waiting for us.” Mina led the group off the train, weaving them deftly through the crowds. By the time they’d reached Setsuna though, they’d seen no sign of Harry.

“Not to worry,” Setsuna told them when they’d reached her. “Tonks will find him shortly.” She reached into her pocket, pulling out a small, black drawstring pouch. “I’m going to need the Senshi for this,” she said, watching both Hotaru and Rei stiffen as they looked at the drawstring bag. Even Ginny crossed her arms, backing up into Neville and Luna, who put their hands on her shoulders.

“You sense the dark magic?” she asked them.

“Mhmm.” Hotaru glared towards it. “Why would anyone do that?”

“Do what?” the others whispered to each other.

“I can only sense that it’s dark,” Rei said. “What is it?”

“It feels like his diary,” Ginny whispered.

“Ginny’s very correct,” Setsuna said, putting the pouch away. “And thus we need to destroy it quickly.” She looked to the Senshi, “It would be good for all of you to learn what these are.”

“What about us?” Ginny demanded. “Shouldn’t we know?”

“In my opinion, yes,” Setsuna said. “But the Headmaster, who’s very close to your parents, as you know, has requested that if possible, this be left to us… and Harry.”

“But _I’m a knight_!” Ginny protested. “What? Harry gets to go cause he’s the Chosen One? He’ll just tell us everything – So will you!” She eyed all the senshi. “Or you’d better.”

“We will,” Usagi assured her.

“Maybe it’s best if we don’t ruffle your Mom’s quills though,” Mina threw in.

“Feathers,” Rei muttered in the blonde’s ear.

“Yes, but Wix write with quills…” Mina sighed. “Never mind.” She looked at Setsuna. “Do we have to wait for Harry?”

Setsuna considered. “It may take Tonks some time yet to find him… I would feel better if this was taken care of.” She slammed the butt of the Garnet Rod down onto the platform and the Time Doors materialized behind her, swinging open onto the dense lavender fog. “If you’d follow me,” she told them, ushering the other students through as well, “The rest of you should make your way down to the feast,” she said as the doors shut behind them.

Their exit garnered only a few glances from Hogwarts’ older students, who were well used to the appearance and disappearance of the Doors by now. Most of the attention they drew came from the first years, many of whom stopped in their tracks to look.

“I see them!” One of them shouted. Her hood fell off her head as she jumped up over the heads of taller students to see.

“Akira, Shhh!” One of her fellow first years grabbed the back of her cloak and pulled her hood back over her maroon hair. “They’ll see you.”

“Oh, come on Chibiusa – they won’t know who I am!”

“Well they’ll notice me,” her friend said, adjusting her hood on top of her pink hair. “And I want it to be a surprise.”

Another hooded first year behind them chuckled. “You’re wand’s sparking again,” she said to Akira.

“And it’s going to get more holes in your robes,” the tall girl next to her observed, pulling her own hood lower as the crowd thinned. It really wouldn’t due for them to be noticed before the feast. And thinking of it…

“Come on,” Chibiusa said. “They want us to go this way.”

“Be careful not to fall in the lake,” the tall girl warned. She walked up on Chibiusa’s other side. “About the sorting: I’m still worried.”

“Don’t be,” Chibiusa said, clapping the tall girl confidently on the back. “It’ll be _fine_ , Megumi. Trust me.” She looked up ahead and grinned. “They’re getting into boats! Come on.” She grabbed Megumi and Akira’s hands and dragged them forwards. “We should get one together!”

“Hey!” The fourth girl in their party shouted. “Wait up!” She charged after them, bumping into another first year along the way. The crash knocked her hood off her head, leaving her bright, turquoise hair blowing in the wind.

By then though, the Time Doors had disappeared, its occupants having already made their way to the Headmaster’s office.

~ _SMH_ ~

The Senshi had left their curious friends at the statue of the Gargoyle and were now standing in a semi circle around Dumbledore’s desk, with Dumbledore and Sailor Pluto both standing behind it. They were all transformed, watching with undivided attention as Pluto tipped the black pouch’s contents out onto the desk.

It was a ring: it had an aged, dull silver band with a setting curved elegantly around the large, black stone with a coat of arms engraved into the center.

“A piece of Voldemort’s soul resides inside,” Dumbledore said, waving his wand. A sprout grew out of the wooden desk, threading through the band of the ring and growing back into the opposite side, binding it to the surface. They all saw the pulse of white magic race through the wood, coating the ring. “It’s an abhorrent type of magic that has provided him a means of immortality. It is,” he said, looking at the six teens. “One of about six remaining, though I need to confirm there are not more.”

Sailor Moon had put a hand over her mouth. The others shared similar expressions of rage and disgust. Saturn, Dumbledore noted, regarded the ring with her head tilted to the side in curiosity.

“His own soul,” Saturn said, curling her mouth in contempt. “He tore it up and locked it in there.”

“How could he,” Sailor Moon asked, hand still over her mouth. “How could anyone?”

“Tom Riddle was not the type of boy who had much understanding of souls,” Dumbledore said. “And, it is my well researched opinion that he fears those things he cannot control enough that he would be more than willing to think the warnings against such soul-damaging magic beneath him.” Dumbledore sighed. “He had no one who cared enough to keep him from straying, and I am humble enough to admit some fault in that.” He gestured to the ring, and his hand twitched as if to reach for it, but he clenched his fist and pulled it away. “Death is one of those things that Tom Riddle fears, and his Horcruxes exist as insurance against passing on.”

“A fool,” Saturn muttered. “He’s doomed his soul by doing this.” She tightened her hands on the Glaive. “Never to be reborn, never to move on, never to find peace…” She shook her head.

“You said remaining?” Mercury asked Dumbledore. “So there were others that have been destroyed.”

“Several years ago there was one,” Dumbledore said. “Destroyed by a force dark enough to match a Horcrux. Dark magic is all they are known to succumb to.”

“Dark magic is the only Wix tool destructive enough to do the job,” Pluto told them. “You all, Sailor Moon especially, will be more than capable.”

Sailor Moon nodded. “A shame.” She looked at Pluto. “Is there no chance to heal him? To reunite his soul… he’d have a chance to change… and to have all those things Saturn talked about.”

But Pluto and Dumbledore were shaking their heads.

“The largest piece of his soul was in the Horcrux that was destroyed,” Dumbledore said. “I know of no way to retrieve it.”

Sailor Moon nodded. She stepped up to the desk, closed her eyes, and tapped the Moon sceptre against the floor. The brooch on her bow and the top of the sceptre began to glow with a bright, silver light.

Unnoticed due to her blinding power, the cursed ring twitched. Its wood binding splintered.

“Silver Crystal,” Sailor Moon commanded, eyes closed. The light grew brighter. “This Horcrux corrupts all that is creative and good about magic – and it’s infecting an otherwise gorgeous piece of jewellery.” The power was causing several instruments around the office to whistle and whir and was drowning out the noise as the ring on the desk rattled back and forth.

“I need your power to destroy it,” Sailor Moon said. Her eyes snapped open. “ _Silver Crystal Power!”_

The light gathered together, concentrating in a circle around the ring, which was shaking so fast it appeared to vibrate, the stone slammed repeatedly into the desk. As the light began to fill the stone, there was a shriek, The white magic trapping the ring vanished. The wood threaded through the band exploded away from it. And something dark leapt out of the stone, traveling through Dumbledore’s desk and down, through the floor.

The occupants of the office gasped, staring at the ring, still in the center of a crater on Dumbledore’s desk. The light of the Silver Crystal faded.

“It’s seeking something in the castle,” Saturn said. “So it can defend itself.”

“It will look for something as dark as it is,” Pluto added, looking at Dumbledore. “Possibly something Voldemort would have been familiar with.”

Dumbledore paled, reaching out to grab the side of his office chair. “I see,” he said. “Perhaps I should have taken Cornelius up on his offer of disposal...”

“What?” all the senshi save Pluto asked.

“There is a monster’s skeleton in the dungeons,” Dumbledore said. “One we elected to leave sealed there as it is not the sort of thing that could be easily disposed of or responsibly sold. Voldemort employed that monster as a student here. It’s certainly possible that his Horcrux might retreat there to hide.”

“It’s found it,” Saturn announced. “And it’s moving.”

“It will attempt to reach the Great Hall,” Pluto said.

“Yes,” Dumbledore murmured. “Its original purpose would have been to seek out the muggleborns… I doubt it could resist such a large gathering.”

“Then we need to defend the Great Hall,” Venus said, looking at each of her Senshi. “Saturn will go with Sailor Moon to track the monster and…” She considered for a moment. “Jupiter and Mars – you’ll go with them.”

“Right,” the four said. Jupiter ran to the office door, throwing it open and waiting for Saturn who led the charge down the spiral stairs.

“And we’ll defend the Great Hall,” Pluto said before Venus could. “When you arrive, you should inform Ginevra, they may need her sword.”

“Right,” Venus said.

“I’ll join you at the feast.” Pluto summoned her Time Doors. “There’s two more who’ll want to help if they can.” And she stepped back into the Time Dimension.

“Right,” Venus said, “Guarding the feast.”

“Here,” Mercury said, raising the staff capped with the bronze bird that her wand changed into when she transformed.

Ice blue sparks exploded from the bird’s beak and two black books flew off one of the shelves, warping and twisting until their leather bindings had stretched nearly to the floor and their pages blended together and darkened to the same black. The material turned from leather and paper to cloth. Before Venus’ eyes, Mercury transfigured them into two black cloaks. Another wave of the staff made a Ravenclaw and a Gryffindor crest appear on the right side of each cloak. Venus grabbed hers out of the air, and Mercury summoned her own.

“This way we won’t have to de-transform,” Mercury said, throwing on the cloak and putting the hood up so it covered her tiara. She looked at the timepiece on the desk. “Will the first years be arriving soon?”

“Any moment now,” Dumbledore said.

“Then let’s make sure nothing nasty comes to meet them before they get into the hall,” Venus said, leading the way out of the office.

They raced down to the ground floor. Mercury was impressed with just how quickly Dumbledore could run. For someone she’d heard was well over 100, he was faster than some of the students. One thing did nag at her though.

 _Dumbledore’s spell must have been meant to trap the ring,_ Mercury surmised. _Why wasn’t he strong enough to contain it?_

They made record time sprinting to the Great Hall, courtesy of a few secret passages Dumbledore led them through along the way. In one, which was dominated on one side by pipes, Venus and Mercury could hear something moving.

They slammed open the doors to the chamber where the nervous first years were waiting to enter the Great Hall.

“I’ll get Ginevra,” Dumbledore announced, as Venus and Mercury checked that their cloaks concealed all of their Sailor uniforms. Dumbledore walked through the crowd of first years (who scrambled out of his way) and threw open the Great Hall doors.

They saw him walk down the aisle between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff and stop beside one tall, redheaded boy to speak with someone next to him. A moment later Dumbledore was making his way calmly up to the staff table, and Ginny Weasley was out of her seat, sprinting half the length of the hall in three seconds flat. The first years who’d just recovered from seeing the headmaster scrambled out of her way as she conjured the Sword of Gryffindor to her hand. She stopped at the outer doors of the chamber and looked between Venus and Mercury.

“Where do you need me?”

“That thing of Voldemort’s escaped,” Mercury said quietly. “It’s gone and possessed the remains of a Monster according to Dumbledore.”

Ginny’s face paled to a degree that could have enabled one to count every individual freckle on her face. “Has it got out?”

“We think so,” Venus whispered back, eyeing the curious first years. “You’ll have to track them down.”

“I know where they are,” Ginny said in an equally hushed voice. “It’s a basilisk.” She looked between them “If it’s more than bones, don’t look in its eyes.”

Then she hefted the sword, sprinting out into the dark castle, headed towards the stairs to the second floor.

Venus and Mercury closed the doors to the first years’ chamber, standing just beyond it.

The four first years who were wearing their hoods looked up once the doors had closed.

“Something’s going on,” Chibiusa whispered.

“What gave it away?” the girl with turquoise hair asked dryly. “The running or the sword.” She nudged Megumi with her elbow. “Let’s go with’em.”

“You’ll only distract them.” Megumi said. “Besides, this isn’t a fight they need help with.”

“Awww…” The turquoise haired girl pouted. “Spoil sport.”

“Guys!” Akira whispered, pointing to the Great Hall doors. They’d swung open once more, revealing the stern-faced witch who’d greeted them upon their arrival.

“Follow me,” she said in a curt tone, then turned around and led the class of first years into the packed Great Hall. Chibiusa and her friends pushed towards the front of the group to see: on the dais sat a three legged stool, and atop it, a dreadfully old hat.

~ _SMH_ ~

 _“JADEITE POWER_!” Ginny shouted once she was out of view of the first years. She brushed her thumb over the jadeite stone on the sword’s hilt and felt the flames explode around her hand and up around the rest of her body. Red gloves were seared onto her skin from fingers to wrists, and tongues of flame transformed her black school robes into the white pants and jacket of Jadeite’s uniform. The flames burnt away the trainers on her feet and replaced them with bright red boots that strapped over the pants at the knee and finally, as the golden buttons and accents on the uniform sparked into existence, the flames rushed away, escaping behind Ginny and leaving a large, red cape in their wake.

Fully transformed into Jadeite, they kept running, stopping once on the grand staircase when they saw the Time Doors materialize on the first floor landing. Sailor Pluto emerged alongside Tonks and Harry (who looked decidedly bloodier under the nose than they’d left him).

“Something’s possessed the basilisk bones,” Jadeite said, readjusting their grip on the sword.

Tonks hair turned a startled yellow, and Harry whipped his wand out of his cloak.

“Saturn and the senshi are chasing it across the second floor,” Pluto informed them. “I believe Harry has a map that could be of use to you.”

“But it’s in my tru –” Sailor Pluto raised the Garnet Rod and Harry’s well-used trunk appeared with a thump on the first floor landing. It popped open and he swiped the map off the top.

“I will be in the Great Hall should it evade you long enough to get there,” Pluto said, stepping back through her doors as they vanished.

Harry tapped his wand against the Marauders’ Map, muttering the activation phrase. “They’re by the charms classroom – come on!” he said, matching Jadeite pace for pace as they and Tonks charged up to the second floor.

~ _SMH_ ~

Venus and Mercury, still lingering at the Doors of the Great Hall, both jumped as the Time Doors materialized in front of them. Sailor Pluto stepped out with a burgundy cloak covering her uniform and a large hat of the same color disguising her tiara.

“We’ll need to join the feast as normal,” Pluto said, walking up to the Great Hall doors and pushing them open. “Standing at the doors will raise too many questions.”

“Can you see if they’ll head it off before it gets here?” Venus asked.

“Harry and Jadeite know the castle better than we do – they make it far less likely the fight will make it’s way here.”

“But there’s a chance.” Venus nodded. She and Mercury checked their cloaks were still secure and walked into the Hall. “Let’s try to sit near the ends,” Venus whispered to her and then they separated. They’d entered the Great Hall just as Dewitt, Felicity was being called up to be sorted. Mercury slipped into the first empty seat along the Ravenclaw benches, and Venus pushed one of the fourth years aside to sit right at the end – as close to the doors as possible. Pluto made her way around the edge of the hall without drawing more than a few curious glances. She slipped into the seat at the staff table between Snape and Madame Hooch.

Luna Lovegood was the first to get up from her seat to sit with one of the senshi. She moved all the way from the front of the Ravenclaw table in order to sit with Mercury. Venus found herself joined by her Gryffindor friends shortly after.

“What’s with the cloak? Something going on?” Ron asked as he, Hermione, and Neville took the empty seats around Venus. “Dumbledore only said they needed Ginny’s sword.”

“We hit a snag,” Venus said quietly as the hat announced Dewitt’s house to be Ravenclaw. “Apparently that dark thing’s got enough life in it to know when it’s about to get dusted – the dark magic escaped.”

“Has it possessed something else?” Neville asked. “I mean… if it needed to be contained in the ring it should’ve, right?”

Her friends, Venus noted, had all drawn their wands – even Neville, who was re-adjusting his grip on his still-new Cherry wand.

“Ginny said it was like the diary,” Hermione recalled. “So, it’s a piece of Voldemort.”

Venus nodded. “It probably won’t get here… probably.” She scowled. “I hate when we split up.”

“Why did you?” Neville asked.

“Well I bet they don’t know exactly where it’s got to,” Ron reasoned. “Want some people protecting the students.”

Venus nodded. “Exactly,” She clenched her fists on the table wishing she could summon the Love Whip without attracting attention. She looked at Pluto. But she was sitting calmly at the staff table, speaking to Snape and Hooch. And Dumbledore appeared just as calm in the center of the table, as the sorting progressed into the “F’s.” with Farrow, Geoffrey.

“It’s also better if we’re not all absent.” Venus said. “Most people at school still aren’t aware of who we are. And if we draw too much attention, that changes.” She nodded towards the Slytherin table in particular.

“Betcha Malfoy’s just itching to get something on yah,” Ron said. “D’you think he’s really gone full-on Death Eater now.”

“Would Dumbledore really let him back at school then?” Hermione wondered.

“Well he lets Snape teach,” Ron countered.

“Oh, honestly Ronald,” Hermione rolled her eyes. “Like I keep telling Harry…”

The old argument proved enough to distract them, but not Venus as the hat deliberated over the first years. She only relaxed a bit when she caught Pluto’s eye during Gbadamosi, Olufemi’s sorting. The Time Senshi raised her wine glass towards Venus.

 _They’re fine,_ Venus reminded herself. _It’s probably just a skeleton anyways._ And Mars or Saturn would be perfectly capable of telling Pluto if they needed reinforcements.

 _Just act normal,_ Venus thought. _You’re job’s to make sure everyone else think’s its business as usual._

She had just about managed it, was even starting to count the first years to see how many they had to go through before the food appeared. Little Higgins, Fergus had just hastened over to the Gryffindor table.

Then Mcgonagall called the next name. Mercury tore her gaze away from the doors. Pluto choked on her wine. Venus jerked her head towards the sorting hat so fast she gave herself whiplash.

“ _Hino, Akira_!”

~ _SMH_ ~

They smelled it first – the putrid odour of rotting flesh was thick in the corridors well before they saw the snake. Jadeite saw lightning down the corridor ahead and then heard the snake’s all-too familiar screech. They dove towards an empty classroom, kicking the doors in.

“We need to get ahead of it,” they announced.

“Gotcha!” Tonks shouted. She cast “ _Diffindo!”_ towards the back wall without care for the blackboard or the bookshelves. Stone and mortar exploded outwards into the room on the other side, and Jadeite, Tonks, and Harry rushed through and out the doors of that storage room into the opposite corridor.

“Eyes down!” Tonks shouted.

“It’s blinded!” Harry shouted back.

“And it’s giving your friends enough trouble that they haven’t caught it yet,” Tonks said. “We can’t assume whatever’s possessed it hasn’t made it more dangerous.

Jadeite rounded the corner first, aiming their sword at the floor behind Harry and Tonks. “ _Jadeite Noble Flame!”_ they said. A fire barrier flew up across the corridor as something slick and foul-smelling barrelled past them. It shrieked as it hit the high, orange flames and reared back.

“ _Nice one!_ ” Jupiter shouted. “Stay out of its sight line!” She swung the hammer that was her oak wand in her civilian form. A ball of lightning shot out of it, right over their heads and into the Basilisk face.

Only now did Jadeite get a decent look at it. It was not quite the skeleton they’d hoped.

The lightning clashed with twin energy beams that shot from the basilisk’s empty eye sockets, creating a thunderclap and an explosion of dust and pebbles as the beams of black energy met Jupiter’s lightning. Jadeite dove out of the way, burning their arm when the sticky, green and red mess that trailed behind the decaying basilisk soaked through their jacket.

“Gross,” Jadeite groaned as Sailor Moon helped them to their feet.

“The beams from its eyes are turning things to stone,” she said. “And – duck!” She pushed Jadeite down and raised her sceptre. “ _Protego!”_ A silver shield spread forth from the top, just in time for a rain of fangs to crash into it.

“ _Silence Glaive Surprise!”_ Saturn shouted. A planetoid sphere of energy with large rings spinning all around it zoomed across the corridor ahead of the youngest senshi, slicing off half of the Basilisk’s rotting tail. It shrieked and directed its gaze towards the fire barrier. Black energy shot out of its eye sockets, turning the orange flames to stone. It crashed through them, carrying on down the corridor.

The senshi and their friends took off after it. Fire, lightning, and curses chased it through second floor, all the way out to the Castle’s western wall. Jadeite, Moon, and Saturn were the closest on the monster’s tail. It hissed as it raced through the twists and turns of the second floor, occasionally accessing sections of the pipes, intent on disappearing. But between Saturn’s attacks and the destructive hexes thrown into the walls by Tonks, Harry, and Jadeite, the basilisk was continuously routed out of the plumbing.

“It's going to Ravenclaw tower!” Harry shouted to them. “It's the closest stairs to the entrance hall.”

“Then you all keep following it!” Tonks shouted. “You three,” she shouted to the knight and two senshi ahead of her. “Turn left!” She smirked. “Got a short cut.”

~ _SMH_ ~

“ _HUFFLEPUFF!”_ The sorting hat boomed after deliberating over Akira Hino for less than a minute. Venus gaped at the short child who hastily tore the hat from her head, set it crooked on the stool, and skipped down from the dais. Her maroon hair looked like fire highlighted under all the candles.

Venus stared, trying to get a good view of her face.

_Hino, Akira…_

“She _cheated on_ me?” Venus whispered, still staring at the child that definitely looked like Rei and who almost certainly had the same purple eyes. Venus would bet anything.

“What are you talking about?” Hermione asked.

“Rei’d never do that,” Neville said. He looked over at the Hufflepuff table where the first year had just sat down in the empty seat beside Susan Bones. “Is that her sister?”

Venus jerked her head from side to side, standing up from her seat and turning towards the middle of the room. She took another look at the first years in the crowd. Three near the front had the hoods of their cloaks covering their heads. Including one short one, who glanced over at the Gryffindor table long enough for Venus to see her red eyes, her big, mischievous grin, and a curl of her pink hair.

“Chibiusa,” Venus muttered, looking at the two kids on either side of her, both taller than she was, and both with hoods covering their faces. “What are you doing?”

“Mina,” Hermione prompted her. “People are staring.”

Half of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and all of Slytherin were looking at her. She sank back down into her seat, leaning to the side to see the Hufflepuff table behind Ron.

The little brat with Rei’s nose grinned at her and waved.

“Mina,” Hermione prompted again, elbowing her.

“Maybe she doesn’t cheat on me,” Mina muttered. “Maybe she’s adopted… and has Rei’s face.”

“Think she’s confunded,” Ron said.

Venus glared at him. “I’m not!” She swivelled around and looked at Mercury a table away. She caught her gaze and jerked her head towards the Hufflepuff table.

Mercury was frowning. But she only shrugged. Just like Mercury, probably perfectly willing to find a logical explanation for _Rei_ having a daughter.

 _What if Rei sees her and think’s she’s wasting her time with me,_ Venus thought. She was suddenly caught by the urge to catalogue just how many Hogwarts boys had that maroon or red hair. _What if she ditches me for Ron!_ Venus trained narrow eyes on him and he shrank away from her gaze. The battle going on somewhere in the castle was completely out of Venus’ mind. _If she were my kid then why didn’t she and Chibiusa come find us on the train?... I bet they want to keep their distance cause they knew they’d be a shock._ She drummed her gloved fingers on the table and stared at the kid. Sparks had just shot out of her wand (which looked like cherry wood. Just like Rei’s).

“Mina,” Hermione said, staring over at the Hufflepuff table too. “Is she… from the future?”

“I hope not,” Venus muttered. The hat declared someone for Slytherin. She looked back towards Chibiusa and her two hooded friends. Who were they?

As she watched, Mcgonagall answered part of her query for her, raising her eyebrows as she read out the next name on the list.

“ _Kaioh, Sora!”_

~ _SMH_ ~

Tonks short cut led them up to the fourth floor, but got them to the tower seconds ahead of the basilisk. Sailor Moon raced to the edge of the balcony around the massive tower and leapt over the edge. Her wings kept her aloft in the tower’s empty center.

They saw the dual attack of _Snake Fire_ and _Silence Glaive Surprise_ chase the snake – half the size they had seen it last, out onto the balcony of the second floor. Saturn was right behind it. She leapt up, over the snake when they were in the open air, and dove down towards the ground floor. Harry shouted something, and he and Jadeite both levitated two suits of armor away from the walls, blocking the snake’s gordon-gaze as Saturn landed in front of the ground floor exit. She threw a _Silence Wall_ between the Basilisk and escape.

It was now out in completely open space, away from walls, classrooms, and anything that might be damaged.

Sailor Moon flew over its head, flying too fast for the dark beams of energy from its eye sockets to catch her. She spun the Moon Sceptre as it began to glow silver and stopped right over the Basilisk head.

“ _Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!”_

~ _SMH_ ~

Venus’ eyes grew as wide as galleons as Mcgonagall called “Kaioh, Sora” up to the stage and the shorter of the two tall girls beside Chibiusa removed her hood. There was no mistaking Michiru’s turquoise hair as the first year combed it back on her way up to be sorted.

“That’s… not… possible.” Venus sputtered.

“I just don’t understand how they can be from the future!” Ron was whispering to Hermione. Up on the dais, Sora Kaioh grinned and jammed the sorting hat down on her head as she plopped onto the stool. She kicked her feet against one of its wooden legs. She definitely looked like Michiru. _How?_ Venus thought, staring at the turquoise haired child. She was glaring up at the hat with what appeared to be impatience.

“Oh come on, Ron!” Hermione said. “You know Professor Meioh can time travel.”

“Yeah, but she always makes a big deal of it!” he said. “Does this happen a lot – Oi, Mina?” He waved his hand in front of Venus’ face. She swatted it away. Watching as the brim of the sorting hat peeled open.

“ _GRYFFINDOR!”_ it bellowed. Sora sprinted down the dais steps, only realizing halfway to the Gryffindor table that the sorting hat was still on her head. She tore it off and threw it towards the dais, garnering triumphant shouts and whistles from her new house as the hat sailed like a frisbee right back to the stool.

Venus couldn’t help staring at her. She ran all the way to their end of the table and squeezed herself into the seat right next to Venus.

The first-year looked up at her with a lopsided grin and what were clearly Haruka’s dark blue eyes. “Hi, Auntie Mina!”

“Bloody hell she is from the future, isn’t she?” Ron muttered as Venus stared at the energetic first-year.

“Who are you?” she demanded of Sora.

The first-year smirked. “Didn’t that professor up there already say my name?”

Venus glared.

“Why are you transformed?” Sora asked. “And why are you hiding under a cloak?” she looked around at Ron, Neville, and Hermione. “I thought they knew.”

“No one else does.”

“That’s what you think,” Sora said giggling. Then she spotted Akira at the Hufflepuff table and stood up on top of the bench, waving. “Hi! Hey.” She looked around, turning in a circle on the bench. “Where’s Auntie Mako. And Usagi, and Rei, and Hotaru-chan?”

“Sit _down,_ ” Venus said tugging the hem of Sora’s robes. The first year plopped back down into her seat with a huff.

“You’re more fun when you go grey,” Sora pouted. And Venus’ face turned redder than Ron’s hair as she glared at Sora.

“When I _what_?”

“Don’t worry,” Sora said, clapping her on the shoulder. “You’ve got like… two whole decades.”

Both Venus hands flew up to her hair, She held the ends up in front of her, turning the strands over and over: perfectly normal, gorgeous blond. _Twenty more years and then… like… a thousand of… oldness!_

“No wonder she leaves me,” Venus muttered. She directed her gaze back at Sora, crossing her arms and raising one of her eyebrows. This kid was not going to shock her again.

Sora crossed her arms to copy Venus as, up on the dais, the sorting hat declared Lux, Nathaniel a Slytherin.

“Rei is Akira’s mother,” Venus said, low enough that not even Ron across from them could really hear.

“Well she does have the same name,” Sora said. Venus eyebrow twitched.

“Who’s her father?”

“Wait – my turn first,” Sora tapped her chin. “What are they fighting?”

“A giant snake – who’s her father.”

“I can’t tell you that.” Sora stuck out her tongue.

Venus face burned and she clenched her fists. “Why you little…” But Sora reached up and put her finger over Venus mouth.

“Hold that thought,” Sora said, turning towards the dais. “I wanna see Mama’s face.”

And the four Gryffindors followed her gaze, watching Mcgonagall pause as she was about to read the next name. She frowned and looked at the Muggle Studies Professor as she read.

“ _Meioh, Megumi_?”

~ _SMH_ ~

Sailor Moon’s attack filled the tower with blinding white and pink light. All of the portraits and some suits of armour shielded their eyes from it. And, paralyzed but the attacks power, and furthermore, with no means of escape, the basilisk was consumed by the bright attack. It shrieked at a frequency that shattered several of the tower windows. Then the offensive sound abruptly ceased, and a heavy crash echoed up the tower as its remains collapsed onto the stone floor.

Tonks and Harry rushed down two flights of the stairs as Jupiter, Mars, and Jadeite leapt off the balconies and down to the ground floor. Saturn lowered the _Silence Wall,_ and Sailor Moon sailed softly to the ground right next to her.

All of them covered their noses.

“The Horcrux is gone,” Saturn said. “I think we need to get rid of the snake…”

Scowling (and wiping more of the rotting snake’s slime off their jacket) Jadeite walked around to the front of the Basilisk and stabbed their sword through its skull.

 _“Jadeite Noble Flame!”_ they shouted, and the signature orange and red flames exploded out of the blade, comsuming the Basilisk head and corpse and burning for a solid minute before fading, leaving only a sizable pile of ash on the flagstones.

“There,” they said, transforming back into Ginny. She touched her hand to her head and groaned.

“It’s still in my hair,”

“Yeah,” Tonks said, vanishing the ash pile. “Scourgify won’t do anything for that.” She wrinkled her nose. “They’ve taught you air freshening charms by now, yeah?”

“But dead basilisk smell _is_ air freshening,” Harry said with his fingers pinched around his nose. “Really clears out the sinuses.”

Ginny snorted. “I’d rather drink Polyjuice.”

Makoto looked up towards the second floor landing – still covered in the basilisk’s red and green ooze. “Do we… have to clean it up?”

“Not unless Filch is around the corner.” Harry said.

“Good,” Sailor Moon said, flashing bright white as she transformed back into Usagi. “Then let’s get to the Great Hall.” She pounded her fist against her palm. “I am _not_ beating a giant lizard just to miss dessert.”

It even made Hotaru laugh as Usagi led the way back to the feast. Harry fell into step with she and Ginny. He clapped Ginny on the shoulder. “Well, now we’ve both faced that thing.”

“What was worse,” Ginny said, moving more of her slime-covered hair out of her face. “Fighting it alive or fighting it when it was an.... inferius thing.”

“I definitely liked not fighting it by myself,” Harry said. “That said, it didn’t smell half so bad the last time.”

Ginny laughed and looked closer at his face. “Why do you have a bloody nose?”

“Do you need me to fix it?” Hotaru asked.

“No – Tonks did,” Harry said, putting his hand over his still sore nose. “See – I followed Malfoy.”

“ _Malfoy.”_ Ginny swore. “They really ought to revoke his prefect badge.”

“Not while Snape’s in charge,” Harry scowled. They carried on down the corridor towards the Entrance Hall and he rubbed his scar. It had hurt just before Setsuna’d appeared to bring he and Tonks to the castle. He looked between Hotaru and Ginny. “What was it that possessed the snake?”

“A piece of Voldemort’s soul.” Hotaru scowled. “It sensed we were about to destroy it and escaped into the basilisk.”

Harry frowned. “His soul?” he reached up about to touch his scar, but changed course and ran his fingers through his hair instead. Ginny would notice. And she’d certainly ask questions.

 _I guess it makes sense,_ Harry reasoned. _It is a connection to Voldemort._ He ran his fingers through his hair again.

“Alright?” Ginny asked.

“What? Yeah,” Harry reassured her. “Just itching to get to the feast before Ron eats all of it.”

That seemed to satisfy Ginny, though Hotaru seemed to be eyeing him suspiciously. She didn’t say anything though. And Harry wondered if she was leaving him to his own thoughts on purpose. Probably so. Just the thought that more than Voldemort’s physical self could cause his scar to burn left him with a host of heavy questions. Was his connection actually a connection to Voldemort’s soul _._ And what did that mean?

Harry’s stomach growled as he pondered and he tried his best to push his worries about Voldemort away.

They could at least wait until he had Ron and Hermione to help him work it out. And they could definitely work it out after he’d eaten.

~ _SMH_ ~

“Any relation?” Hooch muttered to Setsuna as the tallest first year in the crowd stepped forwards to be sorted. When she didn’t get a response Hooch frowned and looked towards her friend. “Setsuna?”

“Um…” She needed a response for Hooch, Setsuna thought as she watched Megumi Meioh approach the dais. “A cousin.”

“Hence why you seem surprised,” Severus remarked.

“I didn’t know she was magical,” Setsuna said. The tall first year removed her hood and Setsuna noticed her eyes immediately – the same deep red as her own set above a nose just like hers and highlighted even more by the child’s dark brown skin. Her hair was purple, Setsuna noted, gathered up in a high, frizzy bun. And she held herself tall, looked solely at the hat and not once glancing towards Setsuna. Megumi strode confidently up the steps and settled on the stool, tipping the hat delicately onto her head.

Setsuna’d already recognized Chibiusa in the crowd – her oldest friend had waved at her several times from the front of the dwindling group of first years. _What are you doing here?_ Setsuna thought. _Why have you brought…them?_

It had been likely for several years that Uranus and Neptune might eventually have a child such as the one currently infuriating Mina at the Gryffindor table. It had been likely for even longer that a child such as Akira Hino would exist.

She stared towards Megumi, able to see the side of her face from this end of the staff table. She was frowning up at the hat, small hands curled tightly around the brim. As if she were arguing with it.

She itched to vanish into the Time Dimension and _see_ who this child was – for she had never heard even a whisper of her before. She also wished to hide, aware that everyone in the hall, including her fellow faculty, had turned to stare at her.

“You sure she’s your cousin?” Hooch muttered. “Cause you’re paler than the ghosts.”

Setsuna shook her head, picking up her wine glass and downing its contents in one long sip. “Later,” she whispered to Hooch and Severus.

She flicked her eyes towards Chibiusa again as the minutes dragged on, Megumi still appearing to be arguing furiously with the sorting hat. But Chibiusa only grinned, giving her a thumbs up.

 _I am the Eternal Guardian of Time_ , Setsuna reminded herself. _I cannot jump to conclusions._ Whatever their purpose here, Megumi was surely not who she appeared to be. _It would be simply impossible_.

Down at the tables, Sora was pouting.

“Aw come on Megumi,” she said. “Why’s she got to take forever?”

“Some first years are hard to place,” Hermione said. “Don’t worry she’ll get sorted somewhere.”

“Oh we know where she’s getting sorted.” Sora sighed. “But she just _has_ to argue with the hat.”

“You know cause you can see the future,” Venus grumbled. “Cause that’s definitely something you want to broadcast.”

“No, I know cause she’s a huge nerd,” Sora said. She looked back up at Venus. “You’re tense.”

“I wonder why,” Venus muttered, face still red and hands still tugging nervously at her hair.

“Hey, kid,” one of the fourth years near them – Romalda Vane – leaned closer, looking at Sora. “Are you related to Michiru?”

“Well,” Sora grinned. “Actually I’m her – mmfph!”

“Sister!” Venus said a tad too loudly as she held her hand over Sora’s mouth. “Just sisters, don’t listen to anything she says though she’s a pathological lia – ow!” She jerked her hand away as Sora bit it.

“Well if you’d let me talk,” Sora rolled her eyes. “Yeah I’m her sister. Half-sister, actually.” She grinned. “My dad was a wizard. I was _gonna_ go to Mahoutokoro, but for some reason they wanted me here. Said Hogwarts was safer for some reason.”

“Oh I bet it’s the war,” Romalda whispered to her friends “I mean your sister was at the ministry battle last year – she’s one of those strange aurors, you know with the pretty robes.”

“That must be the ministry taskforce she wrote that she joined,” Sora bluffed without a single tell. “I thought the uniforms were weird, but anyways yeah, apparently there were dark wizards poking around Mahoutokoro,” she said. “So they thought I’d be safer here.”

“You definitely will be,” Romalda nodded. “My parents said He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is going to keep as far from Hogwarts as he can – it’s really good we’ve got Dumbledore.”

“Yep – oh I think it’s decided,” Sora pointed up to the dais in time for all of them to see Megumi sigh and the brim of the sorting hat open.

“ _RAVENCLAW!_ ” it shouted, and Megumi got up off the stool, setting the hat down on top of it with barely a glance. She made her way towards the end of the Ravenclaw table.

Romalda Vane was caught up in the clapping that overtook the hall, and then, as Mcgonagall called the next name, by a conversation with one of her friends, allowing Sora to turn away from her and smirk at Venus. “See,” she whispered. “I’ve got my story straight – you don’t need to police me.”

“Well who knew what was going to come out of your mouth they way you’ve been chatting,” Venus remarked.

Sora sighed and clapped Venus on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Auntie Mina,” she said. “The only things I’m not allowed to talk about are things Megumi cares about. Now, thankfully,” she grinned. “I am an expert in things Megumi doesn’t care about.” She patted Venus shoulder again. “You can trust me.” She turned towards the aisle then and held her hand out between the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw benches. “Yeah!” she said to Megumi as she approached. “Congrats on the longest sorting ever.”

“I only took six minutes,” Megumi retorted, crossing her arms and raising her eyebrow at Sora. “That was hardly the longest. And it took even less time for you to cause trouble.” She then looked at Venus with a much more apologetic expression. “You’re not going to go grey,” she whispered. Then she squeezed into the seat right across from Venus at the very end of the Ravenclaw table.

“ _Megumi_!” Sora whined, leaning over to argue with her in a whisper only Venus and Hermione could hear clearly. “Can’t I have any fun?”

“You can’t lie about things at home just so Mina will make funny faces,” Megumi whispered back

A bench away at the Ravenclaw table, Mercury and Luna looked at each other and got up, bending down to draw less attention as they walked to the very end of the table. “Excuse me,” Mercury said to the second years next to Megumi. She and Luna sat in the seats closest to the newest Ravenclaw.

“So you admit it was funny,” Sora persisted. “Come on we’re here for a year, lighten up.”

Venus and Mercury leaned away from their tables too, and Mercury made quick work of putting a muffling charm around the four of them conversing between the tables. Both senshi glancing up at Pluto’s still ghost-pale face. “I’m guessing she didn’t know about this,” Venus said.

“I doubt it – oh, and she looks terribly shocked as well,” Mercury worried.

“You’re lucky we’re not just here for one day,” Megumi was whispering to Sora.

“Spoilsport,” Sora taunted.

“I’m not doing this here,” Megumi whispered back as the hat declared the second student in a row for Hufflepuff.

“Stick-in-the-mud.”

“ _Sora_.”

“Goodie…goodie…two-shoes.”

Megumi turned fully around on the bench and glared at the other first year. “I said quit it! You loudmouth!” Then she drew back, her face red.

Sora was grinning. “See, that was fun, wasn’t it.”

Mercury and Venus exchanged looks. “Children,” Venus said. “There seems to be some tension here.”

“Not at all!” Megumi said immediately, turning back to the Ravenclaw table.

“She’s just paranoid,” Sora said. “She shouldn’t be.”

“And she’s acting immature.” Megumi muttered.

“Nuh-uh. I’m excited – we’re at magic school.” She said, glancing up towards the starry ceiling and the hundreds of floating candles. “Besides, aren’t you excited to see what everyone’s like way-back-now?”

But Megumi ignored her. She turned her face towards the sorting and joined the polite applause as Nott, Iphigenela was sorted into Slytherin.

Sora rolled her eyes. “Fine, I’ll be excited for you.” And she leaned back into the Gryffindor table, glancing back towards Megumi only to see who was doing a better job of ignoring the other.

Venus stared at the two of them. “I did not sign up to be a babysitter,” she whispered to Mercury.

“Well they must be here for some good reason,” Mercury said. “I’ll handle Setsuna’s if you handle Michiru’s.”

“Any ideas about how that’s possible?”

Mercury shrugged. “The same way Akira’s possible, I imagine.”

Venus grew red in the face. “Michiru’d never cheat on Haruka!”

Mercury frowned. She looked over at Akira. “I hadn’t even considered that.”

“What had you considered?”

“Uh,” Mercury blushed. “I… uh… you know, actually I’m not sure at all what I was thinking.”

“Mercury!” Venus hissed as the other senshi whirled back around and directed her attention towards Megumi. “Come on! I’m dying here, give me alternatives.” But Mercury didn’t respond. In fact it appeared she’d started up an intensive discussion with the mysterious, time traveling first year beside her. Venus sighed and tucked back into her own seat, propping her head up on her hands and slouching towards the table.

Sora giggled.

Venus glared at her. “You’re a brat.”

“You’re funny,” Sora said, sticking out her tongue.

“You’re _rude_.”

Across the aisle at Ravenclaw, the conversation was going much better. Mercury’d succeeded in getting Megumi to talk about what she thought of the Great Hall, and when the first year ran out of adjectives and then shortly there after out of questions, Mercury tried her luck with some questions of her own.

“So,” she began. “I have a fairly good guess who you are.”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Luna asked, smiling at them.

“Is it?” Megumi fretted

“Well I suppose it is to us,” Mercury said, watching Megumi as she fidgeted, pulling on the long sleeves of her robes. “I hope this is nothing like the first time Chibiusa came to visit us,” she said as casually as she could. The Ravenclaws, she knew too well, could stick their noses into as many private conversations as they could restricted section books.

“No,” Megumi said quickly, sitting up a little straighter to check the crowd of first years. They were just finishing the R’s. “Nothing like that.”

“Good,” Ami smiled at her. “Forgive me,” she said loudly “I don’t know Professor Meioh’s family very well: how were you related to her again.”

Megumi grinned. “She’s my cousin.” She said confidently. “My mom decided to send me here over the summer – I was gonna tell her, but Mom said it should be a surprise.”

“You’re mom must be a very good trickster then,” Luna observed, winking at Megumi. “She must prank Setsuna a lot.”

Megumi bit her lip to stifle a giggle. “I guess she does, yeah.”

They’d gone through another three Hufflepuffs, and two Ravenclaws when the Great Hall doors swung open and everyone in the hall turned to look, a commotion instantly springing up at all the tables.

“ _It’s Harry Potter_!”

“ _What’s he doing with all those girls?”_

_“Since when does Weasley have a sword?”_

“Woah!” Sora shouted, standing on the bench again to get a good look before Venus could yank her back down. “They’re covered in guts!”

Makoto ducked her head when the entire hall turned to stare at them and hastened to her seat, tucking in next to Hannah Abbott who made room for her on the bench.

“Thanks,” she said.

“Why were you all late?” Hannah asked.

“Ehh… just got in a little trouble. Our carriage broke down.”

Susan Bones rolled her eyes “Yeah right – it’d never be just a broken carriage with Potter.” She wrinkled her nose. “Did you run into an infestation of Flobberworms too?”

“Something like that,” Makoto said. And noticed the first year girl beside Susan when she laughed. “Oh you’re new,” she held her hand out towards the maroon-haired, purpled-eyed girl. “What’s up – I’m the Quidditch captain. D’you like Quidditch?”

“Yes!” the girl grinned. “But I’ve never played really – oh but I love the games.”

Hannah grinned. “What’s your team?”

Akira unbuttoned her cloak, revealing the big, flashing button pinned to the shoulder of her robes – a fiery bird flying around a sparkling crystal palace that Makoto recognized instantly from the one other time she’d seen it. “The Tokyo Hō-hō!”

At the Gryffindor table, the returning students were concerned primarily with seeing if the table-top were comfortable enough for a nap.

“Bloody hell, mate,” Ron said as they all pushed down the table to let Harry, Ginny, Usagi, and Rei sit down. “The hell did you get up to? What happened to your face?”

“ _That_ was Malfoy,” Ginny explained, vanishing her sword and collapsing onto the table next to Usagi. “Are they almost done?” she asked.

“They have twelve more,” Sora said, drawing all their eyes. Rei’s eyes narrowed, Usagi gaped at her.

“Mina,” she asked, looking over at her just-de-transformed friend. “Who’s this?”

“Michiru’s sister,” Mina said, glaring at Sora. “Can’t you see the resemblance?”

Usagi looked between the two of them, and then her eyes widened. She grinned. “Chibiusa’s here!” and before Sora could confirm it she’d leapt up from the Gryffindor table, leaning forwards and squinting towards the unsorted first years. There, at the front: she’d just taken off her hood.

Hotaru was the last to take her seat at her house table, for she had walked right up to Ami and Luna, sitting at the end, and frozen when she got a good look at the tall first year huddled next to Ami – and the magic in her. It was senshi magic, like her own. But different, like the Starlights had been different.

Or (as was at the front of her mind when she noticed how close the girl was to Ami) different like the Sailor Animates.

The tall first year turned around in her seat and held her hand out. Hotaru’s attention was immediately drawn to her familiar, red eyes. “Hi Hotaru-chan,” she whispered. “I’m Megumi Meioh.”

Around them, the commotion was abetting, the heads of houses having left their table and woven through the aisles to quiet their students.

“If we could get back to the sorting,” Mcgonagall’s voice boomed across the hall, silencing the remaining conversations. She adjusted her glasses on her nose and read out the next name on her list. “ _Serenity, Usagi!”_

Hotaru’s head snapped up as she recognized her friend walking up to the sorting hat. “She’s here,” she said.

At the table, Megumi was crossing her fingers. “Pick,” she pleaded. “Please, please, please pick.”

“Do you want her to go into Ravenclaw?” Luna asked.

“That’d be fun,” Megumi said. “I just don’t want it to sort her into,” but her voice trailed off. It had been barely twenty seconds and the hat was already opening its brim.

“ _SLYTHERIN!”_

Megumi groaned. Setsuna’s sharp eyes glared at the sorting hat as Chibiusa cheerily set it on its stool, waving to Setsuna as she ran down from the dais. She bypassed every open seat at the Slytherin table, even the one the two Carrow first years had left open beside them. She ran all the way to the end, beaming as Hotaru walked around to the side of the Ravenclaw table that Slytherin shared an aisle with. Chibiusa jumped at her, and Hotaru vanished the Glaive. The whole hall started whispering as Hotaru caught her.

Hotaru was keenly aware of them, even as she grinned and spun Chibiusa as she hugged her. She was taller now.

“I missed you!” Chibiusa said, “It’s been like three whole years.”

“It’s only been two for me,” Hotaru said.

“I know,” Chibiusa said. “Oh this is great – I can sit across from you.”

“Chibiusa,” Megumi whispered leaning around the Ravenclaw table. “I told you to pick!”

“I did,” Chibiusa smiled. “The hat said this was best…and this is good isn’t it – there’s someone keeping a look out in every house.”

“No its not,” Hotaru and Megumi whispered back to her at the same time.

But Chibiusa waved them off, glancing over at her table where sideways glances and whispers were circulating even as the applause began for the next student made a Slytherin. “It’ll be fine – I think I have to sit down,” she said, glancing up towards the staff table where one particularly severe looking professor with black robes and hair was staring at her and rising from his seat. She hugged Hotaru one more time. “I’ll come find your house tonight,” she said. “We can catch up.”

And before any of her Ravenclaw friends could say anymore, she had turned around and tucked herself into a seat at the Slytherin table, trading handshakes with all of her surrounding housemates and answering all their questions. “No, I only know Hotaru,” Chibiusa was saying. “She was my neighbour…”

Megumi slapped her hand over her face.

~ _SMH_ ~

Conversation at the Slytherin table had reminded Chibiusa of every time her parents had invited people from places who didn’t like them to dinner: stilted with a heavy helping of suspicion. The blond boy she had attempted to hex and then successfully punched on the train glared daggers at her all through dinner.

So she was not surprised when, as the other Slytherins climbed into their common room, the blond prefect and his friends in the upper years deigned to surround her in the hall, glaring most of the younger students away. Chibiusa kept her hands linked behind her and leaned against the cool, stone at her back.

“You’re regretting assaulting me on the train now, aren’t you?” the blond boy taunted, wand in hand.

“You called my friend a bad name,” Chibiusa shrugged. “And you wouldn’t go away when we asked. Besides,” she smirked. “You had a wand.”

The blonde’s ears turned pink. “That’s funny from you since you couldn’t even cast a stinging hex – she had to punch me like a filthy muggle. Which is exactly what I bet she is.” All his friends snickered and he stepped closer. “And Serenity isn’t a magical name,” he said. “I bet you’re not even a pureblood are you?”

Chibiusa gave him her best innocent face. “I have pure dreams and a pure heart,” She said. “That seems a lot better than pure blood.”

“Is that what your parents told you before your bedtime ‘stowies’?” a girl with a mean face mocked in a baby voice. Chibiusa scowled at her.

“I am plenty magical.” Chibiusa said.

“That’s what every mudblood says,” the blond boy told her. “You know I think the hat’s gone a bit senile putting you in Slytherin.” He raised his wand along with several of his friends. “You don’t belong here.”

Chibiusa smirked at him. “But the hat said this was the house for ambition and cunning.”

“It is – and you clearly haven’t an ounce of either. Look at her.” the blond boy laughed. “She doesn’t even have her wand out.”

Chibiusa snapped her fingers and a multi-coloured orb appeared in front of her, blue, green, yellow, and red painted across its gleaming surface. “I don’t need a wand to do magic.” Then the orb popped like a balloon. Pink smoke burst out of it and covered the Slytherins.

They all coughed, waving it away. Chibiusa waited, counting: 1… 2… 3… 4… 5.

The eyes of all the students who had surrounded her glazed over at the same time. Their wand hands dropped to their sides.

“Better,” Chibiusa said. “I don’t know where your silly prefect gets his ideas,” She said. “I come from a super ancient magical family. We moved to London like two years ago cause they wanted me to go to the best Wizarding school in the world.” She walked up to the blond boy and poked his nose. “And I don’t know any of your transfer students. I just know Hotaru Tomoe cause we were neighbours once – and you’re going to leave her alone. Got it?”

The blond boy nodded, his eyes still blank.

Chibiusa stepped away from him and crossed her arms, nodding as she looked around at all of the successfully brainwashed Slytherins. “Now, in case anyone’s curious, I’m going to bed. And all of you are going to tell all the other Slytherins how cool I am.”

And without another word to the still-dazed pack of fifth to seventh years in the hall, she slipped into the Slytherin common room and closed the door behind her.

Chibiusa followed several other girls to the dorms and ducked into one of the bathrooms on her way down to her own. She fished the red and gold locket out from under her robes and opened it to check the communicator – Still working just like Ami’s promised it would before they’d travelled back.

“Megumi?” she asked.

The answer was immediate. “Oh good: you’re not dead.”

“You never thought I’d be dead,” Chibiusa rolled her eyes. “See. It was fine. Just like I promised.”

“So the trick with the orb worked?”

“Uh-huh.” Chibiusa grinned. “How’s Hotaru?”

~ _SMH_ ~

Megumi caught Chibiusa’s call just as the Ravenclaws were entering their common room and hung back so that she could answer. She reported that Hotaru was fine and that she was very eager to see Chibiusa. It was a half-truth of sorts. Hotaru was very excited to see Chibiusa again. But, as Ami and Luna could have attested before they even left the Great Hall, she was not fine.

Hotaru was much different than she’d been on the train. In fact. Ami had whispered to Luna, she had not looked so sullen in weeks. And the suspicious looks she’d thrown towards Megumi as they’d walked up to their common room had given the fifth and sixth year a very good guess as to the cause of her mood.

“If she is from the future,” Luna’d said, “she would be Professor Meioh’s child… perhaps Hotaru is feeling replaced.”

“Maybe,” Ami’d sighed.

The four of them were the last to enter the Ravenclaw common room, and Hotaru made her way immediately to the bust who guarded the library, walking through the door without pause. Megumi followed right behind her, eyes darting all around the room as she attempted to count the innumerable books stored on the shelves. And Ami glanced once at Luna before the both of them moved to follow, Ami taking careful note of Hotaru’s tense posture, and the way she seemed to stalk through the stacks.

Hotaru led all of them to the back of the library, and conjured the Glaive as she walked. They reached the alcove in the back of the library where the senshi had met so many times last year. Hotaru dropped into one of the armchairs and slammed the butt of the Glaive down on the hard, wooden floor. It made all of them, but Luna jump. The tall, curved blade of the weapon gleamed with its own light as a book several rows into the stacks soared off its shelf and into Hotaru’s free hand. It flipped open to exactly the page she’d left off on in June.

Ami perched on the arm of one of the other armchairs and watched Hotaru closely. The younger girl’s eyes peered over the top of the book at Megumi as she wandered along the edges of the shelves, fingers tracing across the spines and over some the embossed letters.

 _Perhaps she’s only jealous…_ Ami considered. _But_. She eyed the Glaive that Hotaru spun slowly in her grip. _This seems very confrontational_.

“I think you’d like that section on the left,” Luna said to Megumi. She sat down in the armchair Ami perched on, a book of her own in hand. “There’s lots of philosophers.”

“How’d you know that?” Megumi asked, changing her direction and wandering slowly towards the shelves Luna pointed to.

“I can just sort of tell sometimes,” Luna said, flipping open her book. “And I suppose I am sort of a seer now.” She sighed, “Even if I can’t remember it.”

“I did read that’s it’s very common for seers not to remember their prophecies,” Ami told her, looking down at the chapter title Luna’s opened to. _Recalling The Fog: How to access your visions._ “Have you been searching all summer?”

“When I can, but I’ve also been doing a lot more work at the magazine,” Luna smiled. “Daddy says I could be the senior writer if I keep going.”

“You’d be really good at it,” Megumi said, pulling a book off one of the shelves. She walked right over to their gathering place, and Ami raised her eyebrows when the first year pushed one of the remaining armchairs until it was closer to – and directly across from – Hotaru, who continued to gaze at Megumi with hard eyes over the yellowed parchment of her book.

Megumi sat right in front of her in the chair, and opened her own book, though she too peered over the tops of the pages.

“I think you’d like Laurens’ writing actually,” Luna said as Hotaru and Megumi stared at each other. “He’s my favourite at the moment. He travelled extensively in the muggle and magical world. Many purebloods like to call him mad and radical, but he makes very thoughtful insights.

Megumi nodded, and flipped the page in the book she wasn’t reading. “One thousand and twelve,” she said, looking right at Hotaru. “That’s how old I am… since you’re about to ask… Though I guess it does depend on what you consider a year to be.”

“Hmm,” Hotaru said, flipping a page in her own book, though she left the bookmark on the previous page. “So when do you start existing?” she said in a cold voice.

Ami looked sharply at her. “Hotaru,” she said sternly. “She’s one of us – and Chibiusa’s friend.”

“Chibiusa has a lot of friends,” Hotaru said. “That doesn’t mean they’re all trustworthy.”

Megumi shrugged. “I like most of them. But Hotaru’s right. Chibiusa likes to see the best in people.” She moved another page back and forth between her fingers. “I can’t tell you when I start existing.” She said. “Because it’s related to other questions that it’s not wise be asked.”

“How convenient,” Hotaru muttered. She closed her book and crossed her arms, still idly twisting her Glaive in one hand. “And yet you seem quite open about having time powers.”

Megumi shrugged. “That’s not worth hiding. Look,” she pleaded. “I need you to trust me.”

Hotaru only continued to stare at her. “You have Mama’s name. And her eyes. And her powers.” She looked towards the belt at the waist of Megumi’s robes. “Do you have her wand too?”

Megumi pulled the wand out of her belt and held it out. It was the same blending of light brown and fading white as Setsuna’s: a rowan wand.

“It’s not the same one,” Luna said to Hotaru. “She didn’t steal it.”

Hotaru didn’t react though, other than to twirl the Glaive again. “Who _are_ you?”

The first year sighed. “My name’s Megumi Meioh,” she said. “Luna’s right – I really like philosophy. And poetry. I hate sports. My favorite color’s dark green. There’s a lot of things I’m not allowed to tell you because it’s bad if you learn them too early, but I can say these things.” She bit her lip. “I play the violin too.”

Hotaru raised her eyebrows and vanished her Glaive. But her arms remained crossed. “I know you’re a senshi,” she said. “Which one?”

Megumi sighed and closed her book, putting it down on the chair. She reached into the neck of her robes and pulled out the locket that seemed to be her communicator. “I’m not Pluto,” she said. She lifted the locket from around her neck, walked up to Hotaru, and held the chain out to her. “I’m going to bed. You can use that to talk to Chibiusa if you want. Sorry if it beeps a lot,” she smiled a little. “Sora and Akira just get excited.” She walked over to Ami and Luna. “Thank you for the suggestion,” she told Luna. “See you at breakfast.” And she made to duck into the stacks.

“Wait,” Ami said, sliding off the arm of her chair. She walked up to Megumi and held out her arms.

Megumi beamed, diving towards her and hugging her tightly.

“Whoever you are,” Ami said. “We’re happy you’re here.” She looked back at the alcove. Hotaru was staring out the window.

“Thank you Auntie Ami,” Megumi whispered. Then she stiffened and backed away. “I don’t think I’m supposed to…”

Ami put her finger to her nose and winked. “I didn’t hear a thing.”

Megumi smiled and continued backed away, out of the row of shelves, and promptly dashed towards the exit.

Ami sighed and turned around, crossing her arms as she looked at Hotaru. “I want to scold you,” she said. “But I’m not any of your parents and it feels very strange to think you need to be scolded seeing as you’re twelve.”

“I’m way older than twelve,” Hotaru muttered.

“You’re not acting it,” Ami said. “What was that?”

Hotaru sighed, staring at the locket in her hand. It didn’t look like any of their communicators: save all the circular decorations engraved across the top in bronze, it didn’t have any symbol on it at all.

“Hotaru is afraid, I think,” Luna said. “Of who Megumi might be.”

“Well just because she came with Chibiusa doesn’t mean she’s good!” Hotaru lashed out. “She could be a Sailor animate… she could be some other enemy.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “She could be the _next_ ‘Eternal Guardian of Time’.” Hotaru drew her knees up to her chest. “Chibiusa’s never said _anything_ about her.”

“Chibiusa’s never mentioned anyone else either,” Ami said. “Megumi is probably Setsuna’s daughter, Just as Sora could be Michiru’s. Akira could be Rei’s.”

“Huh?” Hotaru asked as the locket in her hand began beeping. “There were more of them?”

“There are four,” Luna said, “counting our friend.”

“Great,” Hotaru scowled. She stuffed the communicator into her pocket and kept staring out the window.

Ami sighed and shook her head.

She hoped the others encounters with the time-travelers were going better.

~ _SMH~_

Makoto’d hung close to Akira all the way back to the common room, listening as she gave detailed play by plays of the last Quidditch matches she’d attended. And everyone in Hufflepuff (whether they played or not) wound up paying rapt attention as they made their way to the cellar dorms. Akira, it seemed, had a nack for describing everything with the kind of detail of practiced Quidditch announcers. None of them save Makoto had any idea that these games might not take place until a millennium from now.

Thankfully it seemed, as Akira was mostly talking about Japanese teams, that details such as the time two seekers crashed into the Crystal Palace in pursuit of a snitch, did not register to their peers as strange. Nor did she give them time to dwell on such details.

 _She talks so fast I’d swear she was Mina’s,_ Makoto thought as she watched Hannah Abbot direct the Bigs and Littles assignments in the common room. She was leaning over the back of one of the black sofas, directly behind Akira.

When the magic eighth ball was passed into Akira’s hands, Makoto crossed her fingers. She watched Akira close her eyes and kiss the eight on top of the ball, shaking it only once. She passed it up to Hannah Abbott.

“Aaaaand, Akira Hino,” Hannah said. “Looks like you get to be with your sister’s best friend. Makoto!” Hannah waved a hand towards her, as the common room erupted in cheers. “You’ve got a Little!”

 _Hino_ … Makoto grinned. _She is Rei and Mina’s! I was right!_ Akira jumped up out of the circle, and onto the sofa, perching on the back next to her.

“I asked it to pick you!” she declared.

Makoto grinned back at her. “Well good – I’m the best Big there is.”

“Well duh,” Akira said, looking at Makoto as curiously as Makoto was looking at her.

“So,” Makoto said. “You’re Quidditch badge is cool.” She stretched her arms over her head, “Anyone I know play on that team?”

“Maybe,” Akira said. “It’s a big city.”

Makoto chuckled. “Alright,” she whispered. “How much can I get you to talk about?”

Akira grinned. “Depends, if you can make cookies as well as my favorite Aunt can.” She said, crossing her arms.

Makoto beamed at her, pushing away from the couch. "Well then you're in luck: I know where the kitchens are." she said as Akira ran along at her heels.

"So what's your favorite color?" she said as she opened the circular door of the common room.

"Pink"

"Mine too." Makoto grinned, watching Akira skip down the hall. "Favorite sport?”

“Quidditch and Football,” Akira said immediately. “And Judo.” She looked up at Makoto. “What’s your favorite class?”

"Herbology," Makoto said.

“I knew it!” Akira pumped the air."Mine’s Math. But I heard I can't do math here."

"Well there's Arithmancy," Makoto pondered. "But that's for third years.”

"That's okay!" Akira grinned. "That just means we can stay longer."

Makoto frowned at her. "Do you not want to go home?”

"I've been at home for aaaaages," Akira said "I wanted an adventure." Then she glanced around and put a hand up to her mouth. She whispered. “Besides, I've got a mission”

“You do?” Makoto whispered conspiratorially.

“Yes.” Akira nodded very seriously. "I have to Sora-sit."

"Sora-sit?" Makoto chuckled. "Is she the youngest?"

“No,” Akira giggled. "But she's always getting into trouble. I wish I were in her house; she's the funnest!"

~ _SMH_ ~

Funnest was not the word the Gryffindors would've chosen to describe their newest first year. Trouble was certainly accurate though.

In fact, if there'd been professors around on the trek to the dorms, Sora would've lost them points already. She had managed, within five minutes, to be scared so badly by Peeves that she tried to stab him with the broadsword from a suit of armor, subsequently knocking over the armor, the candles next to it, and skewering the painting Peeves had been hovering in front of. (And that was before she'd chased the poltergeist up four flights of stairs with the sword still in hand). The Gryffindors also, upon catching up with her, found her trading swear words with a 17th century bard and thoroughly scandalizing all the nuns in the neighboring painting.

Sora’d spent the rest of their trek skipping along beside Usagi, catching them up on every moment of the train ride in, Her rambling only ceased when they reached the common room as all the bright color inside drew her attention away. Sheran all the way around it, then proceeded to insert herself into every gathering of students around the large, cozy room.

The senshi and their friends made a beeline for the sofas by the hearth. Mina glared at the third years already seated there until they got up and moved, and then she, Usagi, Rei, and their friends, collapsed onto the sofas, all watching Sora as she continued to be the center of every conversation in the common room.

"I don't understand," Rei whispered as they watched Sora zip all over the room: pestering the seventh years, investigating the exploding snap game, teaching her new roommates how to do a hand-stand and tearing down an ancient tapestry in the process... "How does this little..."

"Tornado?" Usagi supplied.

"Demon child," Mina added.

"Come from Michiru?" Rei finished.

Across the room, Sora had just discovered Weasleys Wizard Wheezes, and the first and second years were running away from the time-traveler-turned-green-canary chasing them across the common room.

"And where does she come from?" Mina exploded.

"I thought we’d just established she’s ostensibly Michiru’s," Rei said. The canary crashed into three of the candlesticks along the wall.

"Yeah, but she looks like Haruka too!" Mina exclaimed. "What did the two of them do? Wish on some magic rock or something?"

“Actually,” Hermione said. “That might be plausible. There’s certainly no dearth of old spells that could be bound into stones and crystals to promote fertili –”

The canary flew up to them, chirping like mad and ruffling its feathers until Hermione cast the reversal charm that could undo the enchantment. The bird morphed back into Sora, who sat cross-legged on the coffee table grinning cheekily at all of them.

"Harry Potter!" she said, pointing her finger at him. "You're the Captain right?"

"Er – of Quidditch, yeah." Harry stared at her. He was still (like Ron, Ginny, and Hermione) trying to conceptualize the fact that he was talking to a time-traveler.

"When are tryouts?" Sora demanded.

"I haven't decided yet," Harry said. "Possibly next Sat..."

But Mina interrupted "You're trying out for the team?"

"Yeah," Sora said, sitting up straighter. "I wanna be seeker."

"Harry's the seeker."

"Well you never know," she said, running a hand through her hair. "I could be better."

Rei, Usagi, and their friends stared dumbfounded as Mina's face turned nearly purple "You're only a first year."

"Sooo," Sora said, bouncing on the table. "I can fly really well – just like Papa."

"Ha!" Mina jumped out of her seat. "So she does cheat!" Then she looked around, noticing everyone on the sofas (and all over the common room) was staring at her.

"Mina," Usagi said slowly. "Hotaru calls Haruka 'Papa,' remember?"

Sora giggled. "Yeah, Mina."

Mina made a face at her, flopping back down onto the sofa and crossing her arms. "I still don't believe her," she muttered to Rei and Usagi. Their friends and Sora stared at them, Sora now bouncing her knees and making everything on the coffee table shake.

"So make her prove who she is,” Rei suggested. “Ask her questions.”

"Yeah – here," Usagi smiled at Sora. "What's your favorite color?"

"Purple!"

“That’s a stupid question,” Rei said, rolling her eyes while Usagi made an affronted expression. She stared at Sora. “Can you use the Aqua Mirror?”

“Yes.”

“What about the Space Sword?” Mina asked.

“I’m not allowed to.”

“Why not?”

Sora grinned, crossing her arms. “That is classified information.”

All of the gathered Gryffindors exchanged nervous glances. “How old are you?” Usagi asked.

“5,007,” Sora declared.

Mina shot her a stern look. “Don’t joke with us kid.”

“I am not joking.”

“I think she’s joking,” Usagi whispered.

Mina nodded. “Definitely joking.”

“She’s got Haruka’s ‘up to something’ face,” Rei observed.

“ _That’s not fair_!” Sora pouted. “Even now I can’t get away with anything.”

Mina grinned. “Tough.”

“Do you play music?” Rei asked.

“Oh! Yes!” Sora perked up instantly. “I play trumpet! And drums! Can you transfigure some?”

Usagi, Mina, and Rei looked at each other nervously.

“Nope,” Mina said

“I’m bad at transfiguration,” Rei lied.

“Maybe some other time.”

Sora rolled her eyes, looking around the common room whose crowds had begun to dwindle. “So…” Sora said, starting in on a new round of questions. “What’s Wizarding school like? Do I have to wear red and gold all the time? When can I fly a broom? Do we do spells in every class? I can already do a spell! Wanna see…”

“What do you think Setsuna makes of this?” Rei muttered to Mina as Sora Kaioh carried on chattering as if she’d never stop.

Mina turned to look at Rei. She hadn’t even gotten to mention the other arrivals who’d come _with_ Sora and Chibiusa. And she wasn’t sure she wanted to tell Rei about Akira yet in any case.

“I don’t know,” Mina whispered, wincing as Sora’s attempt at a spell made a sound like a firecracker echo across the common room. “But she and Chibiusa have some explaining to do.”

~ _SMH_ ~

That night, Setsuna did not attend the usual gathering of teachers for their start of term drink, in fact she ignored the new Potion's master's numerous invitations as they'd walked out of the feast. While the other faculty had accompanied Horace Slughorn to his chambers, she had hastened to her rooms.

"I'm feeling ill," she'd told Minerva and Rolanda when they'd attempted to follow her. "I'll see you all in the morning."

Now she was leaning against the windowsill of her rooms, staring out at the stars, her mind traveling around in frustrating and answerless circles.

 _Megumi Meioh..._ she thought twirling her wand between her clammy fingers. She sighed _. Isn't your daughter that's a foolish notion._ She pressed her face against the cold window glass. _She’s only pretending to be._ _After all you’re the only guardian of the time dimension..._

 _She may be another child I adopted_ , Setsuna reasoned, _like Hotaru._

 _But Hotaru is a wonderful result of a your current anomalous circumstances_ , Setsuna sighed. _Unless you completely abandon your post._

 _So it must follow then,_ Setsuna thought. _That Megumi is the next Guardian of Time._

It made much more sense the longer she mulled it over. After all, she had never heard of or encountered her future self when she had been based in the 30th century.

 _Her name and eyes are in all likelihood coincidence_ , Setsuna reasoned. _Or a means to gain my trust_. She shook her head "It would be foolish to assume otherwise."

Out the window, clouds had begun to obscure the stars, blanketing the grounds in near-total darkness

 _Why have they come here?_ Setsuna wondered. _This Megumi is surely more lax than me if she's allowed so much volatility to enter the timeline_.

 _Unless they are all here for a very good reason…_ _one such may be that I cannot see Bellatrix Lestrange._ Setsuna scowled. _And I'm no closer to discovering why..._

There was a knock on her door then, and she idly flicked the rowan wand towards it. The door swung open.

"Horace Slughorn was most displeased that you did not join us." Severus Snape announced as he strolled into her sitting room, looking around the dark space. “He’s apparently been dying to meet you.”

"I'll make my apologies in the morning," Setsuna said. "I've a lot on my mind." She looked back at him "You can't have stayed long yourself."

"I found Horace Slughorn a tiresome and overly jovial leech years ago, and he's only worse now," Severus said as he walked across the room. "The opportunity to leave was more than welcome. I stole Minerva's excuse of checking on you."

"How thoughtful," Setsuna muttered. "I'm fine."

Severus came to stand with her in the window. "The one thing Horace Slughorn is good for is his taste in spirits," Severus said. He waved his wand and conjured two glasses, pulling a bottle of whiskey from his cloak. "And if I am to judge by the appearance of your time traveling circus, you could use one."

Setsuna raised her eyebrows and turned to look at him as he poured two drinks into the levitating glasses. "That's a very astute deduction."

Severus rolled his eyes. "Anyone with half a brain who's familiar with your abilities could have assumed as much." He set the whiskey bottle on the windowsill and grabbed both glasses. He held one out to her. "But I hardly care about the meddling of eleven-year-old children," he said. "And I have new information about Lestrange's movements that I thought it wise to pass along. I am to tell the Headmaster, but I thought, it might be information you, too would find useful." He regarded her with skeptical eyes. "If you are in any frame of mind to hear it."

Setsuna took the glass, toasting Severus and taking a long sip of the drink, feeling the first wave of light-headedness chasing her turmoil about Megumi Meioh away.

There were other, more pressing, matters she still needed to be concerned for.

~ _I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good_ ~


	5. Back To School

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So thanks to everyone who commented last week! I’m hoping I can get more character development in this chapter for my OCs ahead of any true plot driving events. I know this is the kind of story shift that people get critical of, but when I plotted book six, I took the view that Crystal Tokyo intervened in three of the five Sailor Moon Arcs: in Black Moon to stop an enemy from the future. In Infinity so that Chibiusa could train against real enemies, and in Stars, Chibs sensed that she was needed in the past and went to fight then too (and that time she brought the Asteroid scouts as well). So I saw it as perfectly reasonable that Crystal Tokyo would intervene now to ensure the timeline remained stable. I’m also, so far, enjoying the chance to exercise my interpretations of Crystal Tokyo’s kids. I’m hoping they’re growing on you too. (Don’t worry – there’s still room to send all bar Chibiusa home in 7 if you prefer the story without them).
> 
> There's a lot going on in this chapter besides. I apologize if the quality has gone down, I haven't been in the best environment for writing the past few weeks. BUT I'm hoping that non-writing things will start improving soon and making writing easier - I had a job interview this week and I'm crossing my fingers I get it.

**Back To School**

Chibiusa sighed, throwing aside the green curtains on her bed and flopping down onto the mattress. She kicked off her shoes and one of the other girls in her dorm stirred as they thudded against the stone floor. Chibiusa was amazed they could hear the shoes fall at all over the Carrow twins’ snores. _They’re worse that Usagi,_ Chibiusa thought.

She rolled onto her back and stared at the dark dungeon ceiling, lit eerily by the glowing, white stones that lined the edges of the dormitory floor. They cast dramatic shadows of the four-poster beds on the ceiling and stranger, twisting shadows on the skylights over her head, or rather, the lake-lights (for Slytherin really was under the water). Chibiusa stiffened when one of the shadows in the water above moved suddenly and forced herself to relax. It was just a fish, or maybe (as Bulstrode had mentioned) the Giant Squid.

Iphigenela Nott had told her Slytherin had the best dorms in the school. But they could certainly dial down the creep factor in her opinion.

Granted, Chibiusa’d found the room pretty cool while it was still light and the blue-green light from the lake streamed in through the skylights. But she was in a decidedly worse mood now than when the rest of the first years had retired to bed.

She’d _tried_ to make good on her promise to visit Hotaru. But she’d gotten lost looking for where one of the third years had said Ravenclaw Tower was, and she’d been wandering around the fourth floor looking for stairs that went up in the right direction when she’d been caught by the portly Professor she vaguely remembered was the Potions Master.

"Now, what’s this," he'd chuckled. "First night at school and you're already breaking curfew; that's a bad first impression."

Chibiusa however, was no stranger to getting caught where she wasn't supposed to be, and no slouch at getting away without punishment either. She'd looked appropriately contrite and clasped her hands behind her, fidgeting as though she were nervous and giving the professor her complete attention.

"I'm sorry, Sir," she'd said quickly, making her eyes a wide as she could. "I only wanted to see my friend Hotaru. I haven’t seen her in years! I've been so impatient to see her... please don't give me detention. I didn't realize how late it was, and..."

Slughorn had raised a hand to silence her nervous rambling and chuckled. "I hardly think a first offense warrants a detention," he'd said. "But I can't let you roam the castle so late. Think about it, you could get lost." He'd sighed. "I do hate punishing my own house. I'll take ten points for being out after curfew, and you'll be glad it's not more. Now," he'd beckoned her back towards the stairs. "Let's get you back to Slytherin."

She'd expected he might lecture her on the way back, and so had been baffled when, as they'd descended to the first floor, He began to prattle on about something much different.

"I do admire loyalty to ones friends," Slughorn had said. And Chibiusa's pout had fallen into a frown of confusion. "Tis an admirable quality – I say, how do you know Miss. Tomoe?"

"We were neighbors before I moved here," she'd told him. "Hotaru's my best friend. And her dad just died so..."

"So you wanted to see her as soon as you could, oh thats quite good of you," Slughorn had praised her. "Such a dreadful thing to lose one's father like that... I heard Professor Meioh is her mother. She must taking it quite hard."

"Um... I guess. They weren't um..."

"Oh they were separated,” Slughorn assumed. “Yes, that can be complicated."

"You have no idea," Chibiusa'd muttered too low for him to hear.

"Still," Slughorn had carried on inanely. "It must be very good that Hotaru has a parent at school.”

"Yeah."

"And do you know Professor Meioh as well?"

"A little," Chibiusa'd said. "I'd go over their house for tea sometimes. She's very nice."

"So I've heard."

Their conversation had trailed off then, as they'd turned down the stairs to the Slytherin dungeon. Chibiusa’d dragged her feet the whole way. She'd been more than happy not to talk to him, consumed by wondering if her housemates would figure out who'd put them in the negative before even the first class, and by trying to plan when she could next see Hotaru.

"Here we are," Slughorn had said, stopping at the entrance to Slytherin's dormitory "Now, one moment." He'd turned to Chibiusa. "As much as I have to punish rule-breakers, I am not in the habit of punishing those with admirable qualities and ideas. You're very loyal to your friends. I see a lot to be commended in that... and I can hardly take points off from a first year on their first night,” he mused, looking up towards the ceiling as he thought. “Why, you may not have known better. In fact, I'm sure some older student told you it was alright. It's okay to admit it, I won't get you in trouble with them."

Chibiusa raised an eyebrow at him. "Um... Yes, that's... exactly what happened."

"Exactly," Slughorn repeated as though it had been her story all along. "So, I believe I've changed my mind. I revoke my previous point deduction and, now this is very out of the ordinary, but I am a very good judge of character and I've a good feeling about yours. I have a club you see – of other students like yourself who display exceptional qualities. How would you like to be a part of it?"

"Like an honors club?"

"Precisely – but for students of good character as well as merit. I've been very eager to restart it. Why, we're having our first gathering in a week's time. Casual, mind you. It won't be too many of the members to start – just ten or so. I would be delighted if you’d attend.” He’d grinned. “You could start your Hogwarts career off right, What do you say?"

"Uh…" Chibiusa had stared at him, unsure quite what to say. Was she being... rewarded for rule-breaking?

"Oh no need to answer right away," Slughorn had assured her. "In fact why don’t you sleep on it – I'll send you a formal invitation at this week. Yes." He'd clapped his hands.

"That will be perfect."

"Right..." Chibiusa'd frowned.

"Spendid. Now, run along to bed." He'd wagged his finger. "Don't let me catch you out after curfew again."

"Yes, Sir." She'd said, and she’d given the password and ducked quickly into the Slytherin common room.

Now, Chibiusa closed her eyes as she lay in bed, still in her school robes, thinking back over the encounter.

 _What_ _kind_ _of_ _professor_ _rewards_ _students_ _for_ _breaking_ _rules_? Chibiusa thought. _Wonder_ _what_ _other_ _people_ _get_ _invited_ _if_ _he's_ _decided_ _I'm_ _a_ _good_ _fit_ _after_ _five minutes_ _with_ _me_.

She sighed on the overstuffed mattress and rolled onto her side when another shadow swam past the skylight. What kind of person felt comfortable sleeping under the lake?

She was beginning to drift off when the room became bright. She squinted her eyes until they’d adjusted to the light enough to see its source. Then she grinned and sat up.

"You're cute," she whispered to the bright white hare sitting on top of her covers. It hopped up to her face, nuzzling her nose. Its whiskers tickled her cheek even though the animal seemed not to be solid at all – for it didn’t feel like it weighed anything as it perched in her chest.

Chibiusa reached up to pet its head, and her eyes widened: there on its forehead was the distinct outline of a crescent moon.

"Mama?" she asked, grinning.

The hare nodded, hopping up and down on her bed and leaping right out the closed green curtains.

She scrambled out of bed, not bothering with her shoes, and followed the spectral animal as it phased through the door of her dormitory and then through the door of the common room as well.

She had some trouble keeping up with its pace as it hopped up the dungeon stairs three at a time. But it was waiting when she got to the top.

From there, the hare guided her down side corridors, through connected classrooms, and up back staircases behind sleeping portraits. Twice it even nudged her into storage closets to hide from the patrolling caretaker and his cat.

She followed it on the twisting and turning route it took through the castle, all the way up to the top of a tower where all around the wooden stairs she could see the large, brass gears of a clock. The Hare phased through the door at the end of the staircase and Chibiusa hastened after it, pushing open the door and running out onto the top of the clock tower. She turned all around until she spotted it. There was the hare: hopping up onto the wall and into the arms of the young woman who'd cast it. She caught it, said something to the little specter, and then it vanished. The light in the castor’s wand went out with it.

" _Lumos_ ," the familiar, soft voice murmured. The castor’s wand lit up again, with a brighter light, illuminating the twin buns and long, blond pigtails that framed either side of her face. She looked over at Chibiusa with her bright, blue eyes and grinned. "Hi."

"Mama!" Chibiusa ran to her. She crashed into Usagi, knocking the both of them off balance. Usagi caught and spun her, laughing, before she regained her footing and set Chibiusa on her feet.

"I missed you." Chibiusa sighed.

"I missed you too." Usagi grinned. "How's the future?"

"Good," Chibiusa said. "It's better now that I've grown a little older. Mama talks to me about more stuff. And I made some friends!"

"One of whom has already broken half the Gryffindor common room."

"She's still not as much of a klutz as you," Chibiusa giggled.

"I am not that bad," Usagi scoffed. She ruffled Chibiusa's hair. "Hermione mentioned there were others with you?" Usagi said. "Isn't someone else in Ravenclaw?"

"Megumi is," Chibiusa said. "And Akira's in Hufflepuff. Did Mina not mention her?"

"Who?"

"I brought three friends with me," Chibiusa said. "I thought Mina'd have noticed her first."

"Maybe she forgot," Usagi sighed. "She has been getting pestered by Sora all night. Speaking of," Usagi gave Chibiusa an accusing look. "You realize it's now our job to figure out how to tell Michiru and Haruka about her."

"Uh." Chibiusa gave her a cheeky grin. "Sorry."

Usagi chuckled "You don't need to apologize," she said. "Although a note with a little warning would have been nice." She shook her head. "Though I guess I'm only blaming my future self for that." Chibiusa chuckled as Usagi turned around and put her back against the wall of the clock tower. Chibiusa copied her and leaned into her when Usagi put an arm around her shoulders to ward off the slightly chilly September air.

"How come you never mentioned the others before?" Usagi asked.

"Well I wasn’t allowed to, was I?" Chibiusa said. "If I tell you too much about the future then what if that makes you do something that causes what I remember not to happen." She looked up at Usagi. "I get the paradox talk every time I come back. Trust me, it is a bad idea."

Usagi shook her head. She looked behind them towards the stars. "And why did you come back this time?"

"Cause we wanted to go to magic school," Chibiusa said. "And Mama said it was a good idea if we came back to help."

"Really?" she asked. And she looked back at Chibiusa with one eyebrow raised. “ _All_ of you?”

"Well..." Chibiusa sighed. "There's another reason."

"Oh?"

"The prophecies," Chibiusa said. "See: there was one about defeating Voldemort."

"Mhmm," Usagi said.

"And when you came back, the future with that prophecy changed."

"And then Luna made the second prophecy," Usagi added.

"Right," Chibiusa said. "But you don't know what that prophecy is. So Megumi's here to make sure it comes true."

"And who is Megumi?" Usagi asked.

"She's got time powers like Setsuna," Chibiusa said vaguely.

"So that's why she looked so pale at dinner," Usagi realized. "Is Megumi her daughter?"

"Maaaaybe."

"Ugh," Usagi made a face. "Why are you being cryptic?"

"Because Megumi's worried about saying too much." Chibiusa shrugged. "She's a little too cryptic, I guess. But this is the first mission she's ever done by herself. That’s why we're all here. We're supposed to help her."

Usagi smiled and squeezed Chibiusa's shoulder.  "So how is Slytherin?"

"Cold and blue," Chibiusa said immediately now that they were discussing a topic about which she had no need to weigh every word. "It's under the lake. All the light comes through the water..."

They talked until it was nearly 1:00, at which point Usagi pulled the invisibility cloak she'd borrowed from Harry over them both, and walked Chibiusa back to the Slytherin common room, guided safely away from the patrolling professors and the caretaker by the Marauders Map.

Before she sent her off to bed, Usagi knelt at Chibiusa's level and gave her one more hug, pulling her as close as she could. "I'm so happy to see you," she confessed and sniffed. "I was worried that if I couldn’t find Mamo-chan, I'd never see you again.”

Chibiusa hugged her tighter. "That's silly: of course I'm going to exist."

"Do you know who he is here?" Usagi asked hopefully.

But Chibiusa shook her head. "Papa said you didn't know before so he didn't want to tell me now."

Usagi sighed; her shoulders slumped.

"But you're not exactly doing yourself any favors pining after him," Chibiusa scolded.

"Hey!"

"Well you aren't,” she insisted, poking Usagi on the nose. “Don't you think it'd be more romantic to fall in love with him like the first time."

"I – uh – I said that." Usagi stammered, recalling her own words from last year.

"Sooo... You know what's good for falling in love?" Chibiusa asked. "Dates. You should go on some."

"I should date?" Usagi asked weakly.

"Yeah," Chibiusa grinned. "Don't worry. It'll be fun." She hugged her one more time and stepped away, turning towards the entrance to Slytherin.

"Be careful in there," Usagi told her. "Don't let them know you’re with us."

"Don’t worry," Chibiusa looked back at her and winked. Then she gave the password to the common room. "I'm way ahead of you." And she waved as she ran inside, disappearing into the dark dormitory. Usagi stared after her for a few minutes longer, then sighed, looked down at the Marauders Map and began her trek up to Gryffindor Tower.

It was, thankfully, an easy walk (as Filch and Mrs. Norris were off on the complete opposite side of the castle). Usagi glanced at the map occasionally as she ascended the castle's many stairs, but mostly she kept her eyes on the ring that had shared the chain around her neck with the Silver Crystal's brooch since last year. The pink gem of her engagement ring gleamed in the light from her _lumos_ spell.

 _Dating..._ _I_ _don't even_ _know_ _whom_ _I_ _would_ _ask_. Usagi sighed as she thought. _I_ _barely_ _know_ _the Hufflepuffs_... _and_ _besides_ _that,_ _Setsuna_ _said_ _you_ _don't_ _have_ _to_ _be_ _in_ _the_ _same_ _house_ _as your first life_. She made a face as she thought. _And_ _you_ _annoyed_ _the_ _hell_ _out_ _of_ _me_ _when_ _we_ _met_. _No_ _way_ _I'd_ _have_ _ever_ _asked_ _you_ _out_ _then_. The most annoying boys she knew here were Cormac Mclaggen and Zacharius Smith. "No way am I dating either of them," she decided.

She had to wake the Fat Lady when she got to the common room, and the portrait was in no way happy to be woken up.

"Have you any idea what time it is," she huffed after Usagi'd given the password.

"You could sleep all day while we're in class,” Usagi pointed out. “Then no one would wake you up.”

"And miss out on socializing." The portrait glared. "Just because we're two dimensional does not mean we do not have rich fulfilling lives outside of minding your dormitories."

Usagi sighed. "Can I please go in?"

The fat lady grumbled. "You'd better not make a habit of this sort of thing." But she swung open nonetheless.

Usagi was yawning even as she climbed through the portrait hole, but froze with her hand half-covering her mouth when something clattered against the wood floor and then began to roll. She spotted the unlit candle turning over and over on the floorboards, rolling until it bumped into her shoes.

"Um," someone squeaked. Usagi looked up towards the voice.

Sora Kaioh looked between Usagi and the candle that had rolled to a stop at her feet. It must have fallen out of Sora’s hands, Usagi realized – she appeared to be juggling ten of them. Sora was standing on top of one of the study chairs, stretching up to reach the candlesticks on the walls to put back the very candles she'd knocked over earlier that evening

"I've got it." Usagi flicked her wand. " _Windgardium Leviosa_." The candle at her feet rose off the ground, hovering perfectly straight. Sora stared at the candle as Usagi floated it across the room, and to the candlestick closest to the first year, where she let it drop perfectly into one of the holders.

It was one of the easiest charms she’d learned, one she could use just as well on the ten candles in Sora’s arms as she could on the one that had fallen. She had all ten settled into their holders with one more casting of the charm.

“There.” Usagi smiled as Sora hopped down from the chair, still staring at the candles. “Were you trying to fix them all yourself.”

“Yeah,” Sora confessed, shuffling her feet. “Um… could you help me with the tapestry too?”

She pointed over to the right side of the common room – there was the tapestry of a goblin war that Sora’d knocked over while doing a handstand earlier in the evening. It appeared she’d already tried to right it herself. The brass bar that supported the top of the tapestry had been rehung from one of the two hooks meant to mount it to the wall. But the other end of the brass bar dangled towards the floor and the whole woven masterpiece drooped along with it – a mess of fabric pooled on the wood.

“I uh, couldn’t reach the second one,” Sora muttered.

“I’ve got it,” Usagi said. And another quick levitation charm set the brass bar right on both its hooks. She flicked her wand again, muttering the ironing charm she’d heard Mrs. Weasley using at Grimmauld Place over summer. The tapestry smoothed itself out as though it had never been disturbed.

“There,” Usagi said, looking around. “Did you need to clean anything else?”

“Noooope,” Sora turned around twice. “I think I got everything.”

Indeed: all the chairs were pushed into their tables, the rugs had been stretched evenly across the floor, and the cushions sat right on the couches. Even the suit of armor by the stairs that Sora’s crashed into appeared to have been reconstructed with only a lopsided helmet to show any sign it had been disturbed. And, Usagi frowned, the old clock above it now read 1:52.

“How long have you been down here?” she asked the time-traveler.

Sora twirled her turquoise hair and shrugged. “Not long,” Usagi raised an eyebrow. “Not _really_ long,” Sora insisted. “I just… wasn’t tired yet.” She yawned. “So I thought I’d clean everything up.”

Usagi frowned. Sora had bags under her eyes. And she was still in her school robes. The first year yawned again. “Not tired or couldn’t sleep?” Usagi guessed, crossing her arms.  
Sora scuffed her feet. “Maaaaybe both.” She looked around the room again. “I’m sorry I broke things,” she said. “I didn’t,” she yawned again, “mean to.”

Usagi bent forwards so they were closer in height. Sora wasn’t nearly as short as Chibiusa, but still enough that she had to stoop to get to her level.

“Sometimes when I’m in a new place, or I’m nervous,” she said. “I can be really klutzy.” She grinned at Sora. “Believe me, my mother wishes she had magic to fix everything I’ve broken.”

“My moms put shatterproof charms on all the stuff in our house,” Sora confessed, sharing a laugh with Usagi, one that was broken off by yet another yawn, and this time Usagi yawned as well. She shook her head, putting her hand on Sora’s shoulder and steering her towards the dormitory stairs. “Come on,” She said. “Neither of us wants to be tired at breakfast.”

As they walked up towards the first year dorm, Sora stared mostly at her feet. “So,” she said when they’d climbed up two levels, “if everyone else is at school, where’s Mama and Papa?”

Usagi stared down at her. _And I though thinking of Chibiusa as my daughter was an adjustment._ “They’re on a mission,” she said. “Trying to make sure our enemies don’t cause a lot of damage outside Hogwarts while the rest of us are here.”

Sora nodded. “Moms are on a mission at home too,” she said.

Usagi squeezed her shoulder. “And how long have they been gone?”

“Forty-two days,” Sora said. “But they’ll be back.”

“Of course they will,” Usagi assured her. They’d reached the level of the first years dorms. “Now, you’d better actually go to bed this time: got it.”

Sora nodded, and startled Usagi when she stepped forward and hugged her. “Thanks for helping me.”

Usagi smiled and smoothed her hand over Sora’s hair. “Of course,” she said, hugging her back. “And hey – it’s okay if you’re homesick.”

Sora stiffened and jumped away. “I am _not_!” she scoffed. “What do you think I am? Five.”

“Well I don’t know do I.” Usagi said, smirking and bracing her hands on her hips. “I still get homesick all the time."

“Well _I’m_ not,” Sora insisted, marching right up to her dormitory and opening the door. She hesitated at the threshold, then turned back around and darted back to Usagi, giving her one more, fleeting hug. She let go after a second. “Night.” And she dashed inside the dorm room, shutting the door too quickly; it slammed shut. “Sorry!” Usagi heard her whisper.   
Usagi chuckled and then yawned. She crept down the stairs one flight to the sixth years’ dorm. She'd give Harry back the cloak and map tomorrow. Right now however, she was in sore need of some beauty sleep.

~ _SMH_ ~

Monday morning Usagi and her friends in Gryffindor made it down to breakfast at 7:30, just in time it seemed. For when they arrived, Mcgonagall was already halfway down the Gryffindor table passing out the timetables. It took her longer than it had the year before to sort out their classes, as she now had OWL results to compare to the courses they wanted to take.

Usagi’s was the easiest for her to manage; Mcgonagall took one look at her OWL scores and raised her eyebrows.

“Yes well,” she said. “I see you want to continue Charms and Defence, which you certainly have the marks for. Did you want to take Care of Magical Creatures as well?”

Usagi shook her head. No one else was taking it, and she really didn’t want to have to cross the entire length of the grounds just to take a class by herself.

“Very well,” Mcgonagall cleared her throat. “And it appears you have two Acceptables… Unfortunately I don’t believe Sprout permits students into NEWT level with only an Acceptable nor do I… so you’ll have two classes.”

“You’re gonna have two classes!” Ron exclaimed through a mouthful of eggs. “Lucky.”

“Ron!” Hermione hissed at him and hit him on the arm as Usagi flushed a deep shade of red.

“Uh, Professor” Usagi looked up at Mcgonagall. “Are you sure I can’t take Transfiguration too…”

Mcgonagall pursed her lips. “While I’d encourage you to study any subject that caught your interest, Miss. Tsukino, I simply can’t let you continue to the NEWT level with only an Acceptable.”

“Aww, please Professor, it’s really interesting – and everyone else is continuing,” she said. “Plus… I’ve only been doing magic for a year,” she grinned and shrugged. “I think Acceptable’s pretty good in my case.”

Mcgonagall raised an eyebrow. “You do, do you?”

“Yes,” Usagi nodded. She trained her best puppy-dog eyes on Mcgonagall. “Please…I’m only taking two other classes – and everyone else could help me with the work. I can do it.”

Mcgonagall rolled her eyes. “Begging does not work on me, Miss. Tsukino.” She considered the nearly empty timetable in her hands and sighed. “However, a good argument does. Fine.” She tapped her wand once on Usagi’s timetable and the Transfiguration class appeared on the otherwise empty Monday and Wednesday afternoons. “I will permit you a month’s probationary period. If you cannot keep up with the work, you’ll be removed from the class.”

“Yes!” Usagi cheered, high-fiving Mina across the table. “Thank you!”

Mcgonagall shook her head, though she was smiling a little. “Now Mr. Longbottom,” She said, going through the list of courses he’d requested to continue with.

“Professor,” he said as she reviewed his list, frowning. “I know I also had an Acceptable too, but… but I’d really like to continue Transfiguration.”

Mcgonagall sighed. “I’m sorry, Longbottom, but you’re not a novice at magic like Miss. Tsukino, I’m afraid the Acceptable really won’t be enough.”

Neville’s shoulders slumped. “I understand.”

“But…” Usagi frowned. “But he does have special circumstances. He has a new wand.”

Mcgonagall raised her eyebrows. “You had need of a new wand, Mr. Longbottom?”

“Erm… Yeah,” Neville said, fishing the cherry wood wand out of his sleeve. “Got it right before Ollivander…well anyways. Dad’s, I mean my old one, broke in the Department of Mysteries. So I got this one.”

“He already said on the train it works better!” Usagi pointed out.

“It… does, yeah.” Neville said, straightening up in his seat. “I guess… I’d probably have done better on my Practicals if I’d had this then.”

“Can’t he try the class too?” Usagi asked.

Mcgonagall sighed and tapped his schedule. “One month – I want to see significant improvement, is that clear?”

“Y-yes,” Neville gaped, seemingly stunned he was being given any sort of special considerations.

“Now…” Mcgonagall considered his timetable again, frowning. “You’ve made the grade for Charms as well, Mr. Longbottom. I don’t see it on your list.”

“Well… I mean I really like Charms,” Neville explained. “And… I guess my mum likes it. But, uh, Gran’s always said Charms was a soft subject.”

Mcgonagall pursed her lips. “Take Charms,” she said, tapping his timetable with her wand. “And I think I shall write your Grandmother, and remind her that just because _she_ failed her Charms practical, does not mean the subject is useless.” Neville stared up at her with something akin to awe and, as she passed him his timetable, a hint of delight.

“I didn’t know that,” Neville murmured, reviewing his courses. They all had Snape first thing after breakfast.

“Do you really think I’ll be good at Transfiguration just because I have a new wand?” he asked Usagi as Mcgonagall sorted out Harry’s courses.

Usagi smiled. “I think you need the chance to try – and,” she held out her hand. “I bet we can both do well if we help each other. Right?”

He grinned, grabbing her hand as they shook on it. “Yeah.”

~ _SMH_ ~

All in all, the senshi’s experience of Snape’s Defense class was much the same as their experience in his Potions class. He was curt, critical, and quick to pick on Harry. Still, as Makoto pointed out during their free time before lunch, he was loads better than Umbridge.

Everyone but Hermione had a free period after lunch as well, which they spent in the southern courtyard. Ron and Mina filled the hour with a conversation about just how amazing it was to have free time in the middle of the day – and on a Monday no less – while Ami tried her hand against both of them at chess. She held her own against Ron, and would have beat both he and Mina faster than she did if her chess pieces had not been hell-bent on arguing with her every move. Mina proved much more adept at bullying her own pieces into behaving.

It was strange going down to Potions class without Usagi, but she’d assured all of them she hardly cared about not qualifying for that class, more than happy to begin a tradition of a Monday afternoon nap rather than spend it in the grimy, smelly dungeon. Thus Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Mina, waved her off at the top of the stairs and made their way down to the dungeon together.

They were the last to arrive, it seemed. Harry and Ron had gone down early in the hopes of asking the new professor what they could do about Harry and Ron’s books… though it seemed from the absence of books on their desk and the absence of the new Potions Master that they had not seen him yet. The whole class, about twenty students from all the houses, were all whispering when Ami pushed open the door and walked in. All of them were pointing towards the four cauldrons bubbling on the teacher’s desk.

One of them, Mina realized, smelled _rancid_. The scent slammed into her before she’d even crossed the threshold, causing Makoto to crash into her.

“Alright?” Makoto asked Mina as Rei and Ami turned back towards them.

“ _What is that smell?”_ Mina exclaimed. She stared towards the simmering potions in front of the class, putting a hand over her mouth and nose. “Ugh! It smells like something died and fermented in garbage!”

“What are you talking about?” Rei frowned. “All I smell is…” she closed her eyes and smiled as she took a whiff of the rich scents that filled the classroom. “Cherry blossoms and fire and…” she furrowed her eyebrows from confusion. “Your shampoo?”

“That’s definitely not what I smell,” Makoto said. “Pastries in the oven, and roses, and summer air right before a storm…”

“Maybe which ever potion it is smells differently to everyone,” Ami said as they took the open two benches behind Hermione and Harry. “I mean I smell new books, and hot coffee, and Old Spice.” She flushed as the others turned to stare at her.

“That’s a men’s deodorant,” Makoto observed, smirking at her.

“And it uh… smells very nice,” Ami stuttered.

Mina would have needled her about what men it smelled nice on if she hadn’t been so preoccupied trying not to breathe. The longer she stayed in the classroom, the stronger the cloying scent of rot and decay became. She hadn’t even heard the teacher breeze into the classroom, preoccupied with trying to press the sleeve of her robe close enough to her face to block the scent.  
“Ten points to Ravenclaw,” the teacher announced himself, stopping beside Ami and Makoto’s bench as he made his way up to the front of the class. “That was quite insightful what you just said because the potion you’re all smelling _does_ smell differently to each person – what was your name?”

“Ami Mizuno,” Ami said.

“Well, I can already tell I’m going to love having you in class,” Professor Slughorn chortled. And he looked around at the rest of the students, beaming as he carried on walking to the front of the room. “Now, one of these potions is the one you are all smelling: can anyone identify which one – yes, Miss!” he said, waving at Hermione who’d shot her hand up into the air.

“Hermione Granger, Professor,” Hermione introduced herself. “It’s the Amortenia.”

“Oh ten points to Gryffindor – very well done indeed. Which potion up here would that be?”

“The one on the left sir. It’s easily identified by its pink color and its scent. They say its meant to smell like what attracts you.”

“Then why do I smell rot?” Mina exclaimed.

Slughorn frowned. “Well, Miss…”

“Aino,” Minako muttered behind the sleeve of her robe.

“Miss. Aino, well it is true people have been known to smell a wide variety of scents from Amortenia – and the things or, in many cases, people that attract us do,” he chuckled. “Certainly have a wide variety of scents, alas: to each their own.”

All of the students in class turned to Rei, and several chuckled.

Rei glared at Mina, turning red. “I smell like rot do I?” she seethed.

“Nononono,” Mina whispered back. Slughorn moved to the farthest cauldron and asked Hermione to identify it. “The potion’s wrong! You smell like – like lavender and wood smoke and – and even when you smell bad you still smell good – Rei!” she shouted when Rei turned abruptly away from her.

“Now, now,” Slughorn interrupted. “I know Amortenia has a tendency to cause drama, but usually only after it is drunk. Let’s settle down.” He was directing a stern look towards Mina.

“Excuse me Professor,” Draco Malfoy drawled from across the aisle. “Could you say what those other potions are again – some of us couldn’t hear.”

“Yes – we must be considerate of our classmates. As Miss Granger’s just said: This one here,” he waved to the cauldron on the far left. “Is Polyjuice potion – who can tell us what that does – besides Miss. Granger.”

Harry hesitated and then raised his hand. “Er… it can turn you into another person, Sir. If you have some of their hair or something to put in the potion.”

“Ten points to Gryffindor, Mr. Potter, that is exactly right!” Slughorn said. “And… this one…” he asked, pointing to the middle cauldron.

Draco Malfoy raised his hand.

“Veritaserum,” he said confidently. And all of the scouts stiffened.

“Precisely, yes you can tell by the clear colour, I’m sure. Now Veritaserum is quite useful it –”

“Forces you to tell the truth against your will,” Minako seethed, remembering what it had done to Setsuna last year. Even the senshi were startled by the venom in her voice.

“Now, now,” Slughorn chuckled. “It’s only sanctioned for use in a very select few interrogations. And those are conducted, I dare say, by highly vetted ministry officials.”

“Because the ministry is so good at deciding who should have power,” Mina muttered. She heard Harry and Ron cough to cover laughter in front of her. Thankfully though Slughorn had not heard her last comment; he’d carried on to the last potion, bypassing the smallest cauldron of gold potion bubbling in the middle of the desk.

“And of course we have already identified the Amortenia,” he said, waving his hand over the pink, putrid potion that was still overwhelming Minako. “I’m sure Miss Granger, smart as you are, are familiar with what it does.”

“It’s a love potion sir,” Hermione said, cheeks pink from the praise. “Though ‘love’ is a misnomer. It doesn’t really produce love – just infatuation or, sometimes, obsession.”

“Precisely! Now –”

“ _What the fuck!_ ”

Every eye in the dungeon turned towards Mina who was glaring at the pink potion with renewed venom.

“I don’t tolerate that kind of language, Miss. Aino.” Slughorn frowned. “I’m afraid that will be ten points from your house.”

Mina seemed not to care though. She scowled at Slughorn. “So drinking that thing forces you to love someone against your will?”

“Well, as Miss. Granger’s said,” Slughorn said blithely. “It is not quite so bad as that – it only mimics love. Any who consume it will not be permanently affected.”

“But, but,” Mina sputtered. “It’s _legal_.”

“Certainly,” Slughorn said. “It’s also very expensive, of course the ingredients and instructions are readily found, but I dare say,” he chuckled. “Most witches and wizards maintain no where near the potions proficiency of NEWT students once they leave school. True it is slightly easier to brew than some of the other potions on our curriculum, but still – advanced work. And I should mention: only licensed brewers may sell it, and only in quantities sufficient for small dosages – twelve hours at most.”

“A lot can happen in twelve hours,” Mina said darkly.

“Well it has a wide variety of uses,” Slughorn said, looking around nervously at some of the students – mostly half-bloods and muggleborns – began to look at the love potion just like Mina was: with shock and disgust, rather than the curiosity or excitement of their pure-blooded peers. “Why, many couples use it to breathe passion back into an old relationship, or smooth over a first date. I dare say it has no permanent side-effects.”

“And what if you get dosed for a long time, huh?” Mina carried on. “Or you hate the person that gave it to you?”

“Well,” blustered Slughorn. “There are certainly antidotes to Amortenia that can cancel its effects before it has worn off naturally – and it always wears off. Besides, there are laws in place to discourage that sort of usage.”

Mina raised one eyebrow, remaining unconvinced.

“But – I don’t want you to worry,” Slughorn chuckled. “No one has to test Amortenia. But you will all get the chance to brew it today. It is a delightful little potion.”

“We’re making it!” Mina gaped.

“Yes – I considered the Draught of the Living Death, you see, but I thought, as some of you are new to the potioneer’s art,” he nodded meaningfully towards the four senshi, “That Amortenia would be a better place in the curriculum to start – and more interesting. I dare say it’s a good choice given all the interest it has piqued so far…”

“I won’t brew it,” Mina declared.

Slughorn frowned. “I am not asking you to use it, Miss. Aino, simply to study it and the highly advanced potions techniques it employs.”

“I won’t brew it.” Mina repeated.

The Potions Master shook his head and sighed. “Then I regrettably must warn you that refusal to complete classwork will result in another twenty point loss for your house _and,”_ he said. “A detention with me on Wednesday, now if you’d reconsider.”

“Fine,” Mina stepped out from behind her bench. She walked swiftly to the door, leaving all of her supplies on her desk. “I’ll see you then.” And she wrenched open the dungeon door, slamming it behind her.

Slughorn shook his head. “Yes… well, as I was saying there are important things to be learned from this, and – if I could direct your attention to this last potion: this is your prize if you do, indeed, brew me a perfect Amortenia…”

~ _SMH~_

Hotaru normally liked to take her time leaving Charms, always interested in the insights into the course work that could be gleaned from striking up conversations with Flitwick. Today however, she sat in the seat closest to the door and bolted out class as soon as the bell began to chime, sprinting across the second floor to the grand stairs and out into the cool, grey afternoon air.

She and Chibiusa had barely gotten the chance to talk at breakfast – having just enough time before their first classes to notice that they both had the period before dinner free. She’d told Chibiusa to meet her at the lake by the spruce tree that leaned out over the water. But when she reached it, the lakefront was empty. Hotaru spun around, peering back towards the Castle. Had Chibiusa gotten lost on the way down…

“Hotaru-chan!” The shout above her made her jump as Chibiusa dropped out of the branches of the spruce tree, covered in the pine needles.

They crashed into each other, the shrieks and giggles echoing all over the lake and causing heads of students across the grounds to turn towards the exuberant sounds.

Finally, Hotaru pulled away from her. “Why’d you go into Slytherin!” she told Chibiusa. “They’re not nice!”

Chibiusa shrugged. “I mean my roommates seem okay.”

“There’s Death Eaters in that house,” Hotaru frowned as Chibiusa dragged her over to the big rock on the shoreline and sat down on top of it.

“Is one of them Malfoy?” Chibiusa waved a dismissive hand. “I can handle him.”

“ _Chibiusa,”_ Hotaru warned. “Your friend told you you could pick.”

“And I picked Slytherin,” Chibiusa defended. “I mean, it’s good to have someone in every house,” she said, ticking off reasons on her fingers. “And I made them all think I’m a pureblood. And,” she grinned. “I’m ambitious and cunning.”

Hotaru scowled and crossed her arms. “I still don’t like it.”

Chibiusa shook her head, linking her arm through Hotaru’s and shuffling closer to her as she looked out over the lake. One of the Giant Squid’s tentacles had just breached the surface. “I can handle myself – promise.” She squeezed Hotaru’s arm.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, watching ripples from the water bugs and breeze roll across the surface of the lake. After some time, Chibiusa leaned her head against Hotaru’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”

She felt Hotaru stiffen. “You already know, then?”

Chibiusa nodded. Hotaru lean her head against her hair. “He’s at peace,” she told Chibiusa. “He’s with my mother… and he won’t have nightmares about the Death Busters anymore. And he won’t have to miss me when I’m not there.” She sighed.

When she didn’t say anything more for a few minutes Chibiusa nudged Hotaru’s foot with the toes of her pink shoes. “But,” Chibiusa prompted her.

Hotaru clenched her fists. “It’s not fair.”

Rather than try to say anything, Chibiusa wrapped her arm all the way around Hotaru, watching her hands which she continued to fidget in her lap while.

Hotaru watched the calm surface of the lake. “It’s worse cause everyone knows,” she finally said. “They reported it in the newspaper here.”

“Oh no,” Chibiusa muttered.

“So everyone keeps staring at me,” Hotaru scowled. “Like yesterday and all day today they just look at me with sad eyes, and even the professors keep looking at me like they want me to cry or talk about it.”

“Well they care,” Chibiusa said. “And most people probably would want to.”

“Well I don’t!” Hotaru said. “I want to…” She clenched her fists. “No, I’m _going_ to kill her,” she confessed. “But that’s not the sort of thing you can tell people.”

Chibiusa frowned. “But… they’d understand. Everyone’d understand.”

“Everyone we know would,” Hotaru said. “But everyone else would think I was a dark witch or something. Lots of the school’s still freaked out by the glaive.”

“Then they’re stupid,” Chibiusa said. Then she frowned. “Wait…everyone knows about the Glaive?”

“It’s my wand,” Hotaru confessed, summoning it to her hand.

“You don’t have one?” Chibiusa asked. “Even I got one – look:” she pulled her own out of her pocket. It was a thin, red wand with a handle polished to a pink sheen. “Cherry and Unicorn.” She grinned. “Same unicorn that’s in Mama’s wand. And it’s exactly 8 inches.” She gave it a wave, gold and silver sparks shot out of the tip. “The wandmaker lady said it was ‘stubborn’ too, whatever that means.”

“I think that means you’re stubborn.” Hotaru giggled.

Chibiusa stuck out her tongue. “Can you show me a spell?” Chibiusa asked, standing up on the rock and offering Hotaru her hand. “I can only do a couple.”

Hotaru beamed up at her. “There’s a cool one I can do sometimes.” She took Chibiusa’s hand and stood. She faced the lake, keeping her hand clasped in Chibiusa’s and squeezing it. Then she took a deep, centering breath, and pointed the Glaive out over the water. “ _Expecto Patronum!”_

She concentrated very hard as the pale white light appeared at the end of her Glaive, eyebrows drawn together. Chibiusa gasped and grinned as the light arced away from the blade, gathering together into small wings that flapped brightly against the grey sky. The wisps of light gathered into a solid looking butterfly that raced in a circle around Chibiusa. Hotaru grinned when Chibiusa spun, following the patronus, which grew brighter when Chibiusa and then Hotaru began to laugh.

Their laughter carried up to the open window of the Staff Lounge, upon which Setsuna Meioh was perched. She smiled as she sipped her tea, leaning against the window frame as she watched the two girls play on the shore: Chibiusa chasing the butterfly patronus as Hotaru directed it to fly in circles over her head. Behind her, the door of the Staff lounge clicked open.

“She seems much better than she was at the last Order meeting,” Minerva observed, joining her at the window.

Setsuna glanced at her, then back her daughter and the girl whom she loved just as much as one. “Well if there’s one person who can make her feel better its Chibiusa,” she told Minerva, smiling down at the children. “Chibiusa never lets anyone feel like they’re alone.” She sipped her tea. “How were your classes today.”

“Interesting,” Mcgonagall said. “Miss. Tsukino successfully swindled me into allowing she and Longbottom into my NEWT course. And I was quite surprised.”

“She did well?”

“Oh no – she’ll need to put in a lot of hard work if she wants to keep up with the class,” Minerva said. “Mr. Longbottom however…” she trailed off. “I fear I have taken Augusta at her word too often regarding that boy. She wrote me before his first year asking me to look out for him – said he’d barely a speck of magic in him…” She sighed. “And I attributed his academic struggles solely to that. I never even considered that the fact he did exceptionally well on all his written tests might speak to a boy capable of doing better on his practicals if only he had a different wand.”

“Do wands make much difference?”

“Immensely,” Minerva said. “Though when you’ve been doing magic as long as I have, you become less dependent on a perfect match. And I have been incredibly foolish not to consider how the comfort a child has with their first wand can determine how well they go on to do at any magic.” She waved her wand, and a golden bird chirped, appearing from the tip. A real feather from its wing fell on Setsuna’s arm. “I had them conjure these today. And they’ve never done that. Vanished certainly, never conjured. Usually it would have taken Mr. Longbottom two classes to get a feather.” She vanished the bird. “Neville surprised the both of us today; he managed the whole bird in three tries.”

“Impressive,” Setsuna murmured.

“Yes well,” Minerva scowled. “At the moment, I am not sure if I shouldn’t send a howler to Augusta Longbottom or simply write to her son and daughter-in-law, and have them do it for me. I hadn’t even been _aware_ he was using Frank’s old wand.” She summoned a bottle of liquor out of the cabinet across the lounge. The cork popped off the floating bottle and it poured a liberal amount into Minerva’s tea before soaring back into the cabinet. She took a long sip. “And I had the first year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws this morning as well.”

“You did?” Setsuna asked, tightening her grip on her tea.

“Yes – and if that ‘sister’ as you’re insisting she is of Michiru’s hadn’t already set her desk on fire I’d be inclined to call her my best student.”

“How did she manage that?”

“She turned all her matches into needles on the first try, then tried to show off how good a job she’d done by striking one against the desk. Suffice to say she requires a bit more practice to give it more than just a perfect appearance.”

Setsuna chuckled, still staring out at Chibiusa and Hotaru. They’d joined several other younger students who were on their free period now, and were skipping stones across the lake’s surface. “And… my cousin?”

“You’re going to stand by these stories, then?” Mcgonagall shook her head. “She did quite well. Turned her match to a needle by the second half of class. And hers was not still flammable as Miss. Kaioh proved by testing them herself.” She looked down at Setsuna. “How were your own courses,”

Setsuna smiled. “Well, I don’t think I have any more Morgana Averys on my hands, but the seventh years were quite receptive to the Muggle Studies lesson, and Miss. Granger’s already been by my office asking when she can take the OWL.”

“That girl would scare me if I weren’t constantly impressed by her,” Minerva chuckled. “Filius still accuses me of stealing her from Ravenclaw somehow.”

Setsuna nodded. “And I had the fifth years in Divination this morning. Luna Lovegood is my star student again, as I expected… She’s been trying to recall her prophecy, you know.”

“Has she had any luck,” Minerva asked as Setsuna lifted her tea to her lips again. It had an odd smell, Minerva wrinkled her nose, trying to identify the flavour.

Setsuna shook her head. “I told her it may be impossible – and its contents cannot be accessed via the Time Dimension. I’m afraid destroying the physical prophecy destroyed all memory of it from there as well.”

“Hmmm,” Minerva took another long sip of her tea. “You know, while it may not be complete charlatanry, I believe I’ll stand by my opinion: all this divination business is utter rubbish.”

She was expecting a witty retort, so was surprised when Setsuna only nodded her head, sipping her tea once more and then staring into the opaque liquid. “It may well be.”

“You’re not doubting your abilities are you?” Minerva asked.

“Well I still cannot see Lestrange,” Setsuna sighed. “I have tried every avenue available to me – including guessing.”

Minerva raised her eyebrows. “You loath guessing.”

“That I do… I’ve even begun looking into some of the Divination techniques I teach the students, and many of those I’ve never had a need for. I’m not even sure I can use them myself.”

As she took another sip of her tea, Minerva caught the scent wafting off it again. She furrowed her brows, frowning at Setsuna. “You put Pepper-up Potion in that,” she accused.

“You caught me.” Setsuna smirked. “It has a stronger effect than coffee.”

“It’s not meant to replace sleep,” Minerva lectured her. “I’ve had too many seventh years do this during their exam season; Smoke coming out of their ears is one of the lesser side-effects.”

Setsuna shrugged. “I only need it for a little while.”

“Yes, well you’d ought not make a habit of it.”

“You can’t put me in detention like one of the students, Minerva,” Setsuna laughed, lifting her spiked tea and taking another sip.

“Oh I can’t, goodness I hadn’t realized.” Minerva smirked. “Then I guess I have no other option.” She sipped her tea. “I’ll just have to write Haruka and Michiru.”

Setsuna choked on her tea, a blush rapidly covering her cheeks.

“In fact I think I will,” Minerva carried on. “I’m sure they’re quite concerned with whether you’re taking care of yourself.”

Setsuna cleared her throat. “No one needs to worry about me,” she insisted. “I’ll be careful with the Pepper-up Potion.”

“That’s all I ask,” Minerva said. “Now, what kind of Slytherin and I getting in Hotaru’s little friend there?”

Setsuna sighed. “A good one.”

~ _SMH_ ~

Given Mina’s confrontation with Slughorn, the Gryffindor sixth years were anticipating that the point totals would have gone down below the other houses. But they were not expecting the near eighty-point deficit they encountered upon arriving at the Great Hall for dinner.

“Bloody Hell!” Ron exclaimed as they paused outside the Great Hall to stare at the counters. “It’s barely been a day!”

It was the talk of the whole Gryffindor table as more and more of them arrived for the evening meal. Mina stood by her actions, not apologizing once for the thirty points she was responsible for, and Harry’s own ten point loss from Snape was met with resigned headshakes from all the Gryffindors.

When Ginny heard she sighed, and slouching over the table with her face propped up on her fists. “Typical Snape,” she muttered. “I know another ten was one of the third years – Mcgonagall caught them trying to give Peeves fireworks of all the stupid things.”

“But that’s still thirty points behind,” Ron pointed out. “And it’s only Day One.”

“Does it really matter?” Hermione asked.

“Yes,” Ginny and Ron said with the same tone and expression.

As the first course came out though, and rumours circulated the Gryffindor table, all that could be gleaned was that no one present was responsible, though there was a rumour, which a giggling Lavender Brown relayed to them by whispering in Ron’s ear, that there was a first year involved.

Mina rolled her eyes. “Why do I get the feeling I know _which_ first year?”

Her guess was only confirmed when, as the main course came up from the kitchens, the doors of the Great Hall swung open, and a pouting Sora Kaioh trailed through them. Mina was about to roll her eyes when she realized the first year was favouring her right leg, and there was a fading bruise around her eye. She shot to her feet along with Rei and Usagi as Sora shuffled over to their part of the Gryffindor table.

“Hi,” Sora mumbled, plopping down on the bench between Ginny and Mina. She had a scowl on her face as she reached out for a roll and tore it in half.

“Who the hell did this to you,” Mina demanded.

Sora shrugged. “Don’t know their names.” She said through a mouthful of bread.

“Did you do it then?” Cormac McLaggen exclaimed, leaning around several of his friends. “Pick a fight on the first day and put us in dead last.”

“Shut up,” Mina ordered, shooting him a deadly glare.

“I got in a fight,” Sora muttered, picking the crust off what remained of the roll. “I didn’t _start_ one.” She stuffed another bite in her mouth.

“What happened?” Usagi asked, much more softly than Mina.

Sora glanced up at her. “They were two Slytherins girls” She began, and their friends at the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables who were sitting close enough all leaned across the listen.

They’d cornered her in the courtyard, according to Sora. Or rather, they’d cornered another muggleborn student to taunt them and Sora’d stepped between them. And they must have been members of the Inquisitorial Squad, Mina surmised, as they’d known all about Michiru’s sailor form and had told Sora that none of her sister’s special powers were going to help her against Death Eaters if she couldn’t even stand up to a dementor.

Sora’d then attempted to punch them, and one had been quick enough to cast _Levicorpus_ on her, swinging her up into the air by her ankle, accidentally twisting it. The second had made a point of saying no one liked Slytherins who joined the wrong side of the war, and cast a boxing hex towards her eye.

“And that was when my wand decided to work,” Sora told them. “It hit them with really hot water. I think it burned them.”

“Good,” Mina, Rei, and Ron declared at the same time. “Are they here?” Mina asked, glaring across the Great Hall at the Slytherin table.

“They’re still in the hospital wing,” Sora said, pushing around the peas that Usagi’d put on her plate. “I left early. I didn’t want to miss dinner.” She lifted her fork away from her plate “The water pushed up the sleeves on one’s robes.” She said, “She had this drawn on it.” and they all looked at the shape she’d made with the peas, a green snake twining through what all familiar with the image she was trying to portray knew to be a skull.

“You said it was drawn?” Hermione said.

“Yeah – the water made the ink run.”

“So the Slytherins are drawing fake dark marks on their arms now,” Ron said. “Reckon they have junior initiation ceremonies in there?”

“They could be trying to show their allegiance to Malfoy,” Harry said. “He’s got the real thing.”

“You don’t know that,” Hermione cautioned.

“But I’m right – I know it.” Harry said, glaring over at the platinum blond Slytherin.

“I don’t see Pansy,” Ginny said. “So she was one.”

“She could be trying to impress Draco,” Ron mused.

“See Hermione,” Harry said.

“Well... we would need more evidence,” Hermione said. “I know he’s _awful_ Harry, but he’s our age...”

“Hermione’s right,” Usagi sighed. “We need proof.” She propped her head up on her hand, staring glumly at the table. “I don’t like Chibiusa being in that house,” Usagi worried. Upon hearing her, Ami stood up from the Ravenclaw table and put her hands on Usagi’s shoulders.

“Chibiusa will be fine,” Ami told her, and their quick glances over showed the Slytherin first year certainly seemed to have garnered no ill will from her housemates so far. It even appeared Chibiusa had made some friends: she was laughing with two first year twins, and even seemed to have convinced the younger Slytherins that Hotaru and Megumi were alright, as they were all huddled together across the aisle from each other. “She’s very capable,” Ami said to Usagi. “After all, haven’t you taught her everything she knows?”

Usagi smiled. “Of course.” And she directed her attention back to Sora. “I don’t understand though.” She frowned at the first year who was now spearing her food with angry stabs of her fork. “How did that lose you thirty points? They attacked you.”

Sora scowled again. “The Slytherin professor found us as I got them with the water.” She looked up at the staff table. “The greasy one.”

“Snape,” Ron cursed.

“He took ten from them and thirty from me,” Sora said. “And I’ve got detention.”

“Of bloody course,” Ron muttered. “Suppose you can hex him back tomorrow, Harry?”

“ _Ron_!”

“What?”

Ron and Hermione were still arguing when the dinner dishes were swapped out for the pudding. Though Mina had a distinct suspicion they’d forgotten what they were arguing about. Pudding, it also seemed, cheered Sora back to her previously exuberant self, as she was soon, to Harry’s delight, wondering how difficult it would be to slip Snape a Canary Cream

And in the middle of pudding, they got one more surprise. Owls began to stream into the Great Hall with copies of the _Evening Prophet_ , which that they dropped in students laps at all the different tables. These had been small papers reserved for special editions the last time Usagi and the senshi had seen them. But it seemed, at some point over summer, the _Evening Prophet_ had evolved into a full-fledged paper complete with different sections, news updates from the mornings edition...

And Obituaries.

Ginny, Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Neville each got a paper of their own, and Ami at the Ravenclaw table. But theirs was the largest concentration of newspapers in the hall, for it seemed barely a hundred Owls had soared in.

And no sooner had Ginny skimmed the news and begun scanning the obituaries, than the fifth year several seats down had leaned over and asked if she could borrow it.

“Sure...” Ginny said. “No one I know... and there’s not much in it, well. Not much I believe anyways.”

“I still wanna see,” her roommate said, scanning the Obits herself. “My dad cancelled my subscription. I didn’t find out until this morning when his letter showed up instead of the paper.”

Ginny nodded. “That’s what my mum did. Ron and I only get it thanks to Fred and George.”

“Can I borrow it after her!” someone else shouted further down the table.

It was a scene playing out at every table, including at Slytherin: students passing the copies of the Prophet to their friends, dormmates, even to students at other tables, all of them with a desperate eye on the obituaries page. There were sighs of relief from around the hall as they confirmed that no one they knew had died that day.

The ritual that began with Monday’s evening paper continued every morning and evening throughout the week, punctuated by two incidents. The first occured on Tuesday night when Ravenclaw’s burly Keeper broke down in tears. The second happened Wednesday during Breakfast, when, one-by-one, every head in the hall turned to stare at Hannah Abbott.

The sixth year didn’t notice them at all, She was laughing with Susan Bones, Akira, and Makoto describing poor Terry Boot’s most recent, bumbling attempt to ask her on a date, punctuating her story with sound effects and funny faces in between bites of her pancakes.

She only noticed the paper when Ernie Macmillan glanced at her from across the table. She reached out a hand for it. “Mind?” she asked him.

And Ernie hesitated. Hannah’s fork stopped halfway to her mouth and she lowered it back to her plate, instantly becoming Somber. “Ernie?” she asked.

“I’m, uh, not done with it yet.” Ernie said. “Besides, there’s nothing – Hannah!” She’d leaned across the table and jerked it out of his hand.

Hannah ignored him, turning to the page he’d been reading.

“Hannah?” Makoto asked when she’d been staring at the _Prophet_ for over a minute with no reaction.

Hannah put the paper down, sliding it back across the table to Ernie, and turned her attention back to her plate. She didn’t look at any of them, merely continued eating her pancakes.

“Ernie give it to me,” Susan Bones demanded as Hannah continued to eat in silence. She too only took a second to find it. She whimpered, and passed it along to Makoto.

Setsuna received the _Prophet_ that day too and her breath hitched when she saw what Hannah had seen. Right on the third page:

_Timothy Abbott, Auror Trainee, 18. Last seen leaving the Ministry Tuesday at 21:03._

Timothy Abbott had been one of her hardest working students besides Morgana Avery, and he’d been a Ravenclaw to his core. He’d asked so many questions. He’d wanted to bring roller coasters to the Wizarding World...

“Now that there’s a Missing Persons,” Horace Slughorn, who’d managed to sit down beside her that day, said almost jovially. “I say: he hardly fits the profile for those Death Eaters though – pureblood. I knew his father. Lovely man. Now a boy his age, I’m _sure_ they’ll turn up at a club somewhere tomorrow. Probably had one too many firewhiskies. Just you wait.”

“I really doubt any of us are thinking that’s what’s happened, Slughorn,” Hooch muttered. She’d been glaring at him since he’d stolen Mcgonagall’s usual seat to sit beside Setsuna. Hooch stood from her seat and clapped Setsuna on the shoulder. “It’s just a missing person,” She whispered as she passed.

“I’m sure these are terribly stressful,” Horace carried on as Setsuna stared at Timothy’s picture. “Especially as your new to the country. You know I think you’re quite brave helping us with –”

“I need to go,” Setsuna announced, getting up herself and following Hooch out of the Hall. She summoned the Time Doors as soon as she’d left and spent hours determinedly gazing into the sands.

But Timothy only appeared to be sleeping, in some location she could not disclose, which meant he had not gotten there himself. Or perhaps the location was hidden from her. He also, as she stared at him, shimmered: so this was a vision of what he should look like, not his true image. Which perhaps meant that had been hidden from her too, or that whichever person controlled his fate right now, was out of her reach.

 _Lestrange_.” Setsuna tightened her hands around her Garnet Rod.

She did not leave the Time Dimension again until she was assured of the state of every single one of the students who’d been in her NEWT Muggle Studies class the year before, and then she checked on the three students who’d been in her Divination class as well. All of them were fine... so far.

Wednesday was also the day that Harry got a surge of D.A. members asking if the club was resuming.

“I don’t know,” he told all of them in an increasingly frustrated voice. By the time the 17th person – Justin Finch-Fletchley – asked on him way to lunch, he might have shouted in his face had Ron not been there to answer first.”

“It’s alright if you don’t want to continue it, mate,” Ron told him.

“I just don’t know if I can teach the D.A. _and_ have Quidditch, and do whatever Dumbledore wants me to do,” Harry sighed. “Whenever he gets around to telling me what that is.” He’d been hoping for an owl of some sort since Sunday, but Dumbledore had been silent on the matter.

“I’m sure it will be soon,” Ron said as they entered the Great Hall. They were early to lunch, having had a free period before, and so were spotted very quickly in the near-empty room. Makoto was already there, leaning over the Hufflepuff table with Michael Corner (who must be the Ravenclaw Captain, Harry realized). She waved them right over.

“Harry – we wanted to talk to you,” she said, grinning. “You said you were going to try out every position on Gryffindor right,"  
"Yeah," Harry said "I mean – I don’t want to make it seem like I’m playing favorites."  
"Right – I was gonna do the same thing. I mean it's only fair. And so was Corner,” She grinned. “And I heard from Sprout they want to choose a new announcer too – did you have anything planned for your practice yet?”

“Uh… nothing definite,” Harry said, running a hand through his hair. He hadn’t thought about it at all, actually.

Makoto grinned. “Good – cause I had a plan. We’d need to book the pitch all day,” she said as she began to explain.

The three captains had their practice planned by the end of lunch, and all Ron would say to anyone about the meeting was that the idea was brilliant. “You’ll just have to be there on the Saturday,” he would told them. Mcgonagall had been so pleased she’d actually smiled at Harry when he’d told her about it that evening, promising the announcement would be issued soon.

The _Evening Prophet_ came again that night on the heels of about 50 school owls, all of them carrying pressed, parchment envelopes with a silver wax seal. They dropped into the hands of fifty students around the hall. Several Senshi and their friends were among the recipients – including Harry Potter

“Wa’s fat?” Ron asked, pointing at the envelope with his fork as he chewed a large mouthful of potatoes.

“Dunno,” Harry said, noticing that further down the table, Lavender and Parvati had received similar letters. And around him: Hermione, and Neville had also received them.

It was a strange letter for certain.

_Mr. Harry Potter,_

_It was a delight to meet you this week in my class – superb job on the Amortenia brew, my boy. The best I’ve ever seen. I see a talent in you, one that I think would be further nurtured by the company of other exceptional students at Hogwarts like yourself. And I would like to invite you to join my club founded for such exceptional students. We’ll be having our first informal dinner soon – a casual dinner for ten of you that I’d be most pleased to invite you to: Saturday at 17:00 in my office._

_Prof. Horace Slughorn_

“Weird,” Rei declared, reading over Hermione’s shoulder.

“What was it?” Mina asked.

“Wants Hermione to join some club,” Rei said, looking at Makoto talking to that little first year who sat next to her everyday. “Looks like Makoto’s got one too.”

“And Ami,” Usagi said. “And Hotaru… and Megumi and Chibiusa.” She frowned and looked at Mina. “Did you get one?”

“Noo…” Mina frowned, looking at all the other students getting letters. “What gives?”

“They’re invitations to a dinner,” Harry said. “From Slughorn.”

“No they’re not,” Hermione said, checking her own again. “Mine only says I’ll be invited to a dinner with other students soon.” She frowned. “Neville what about yours?”

“Same thing,” he said, folding it up and stuffing it into his pocket. “Mum wrote me this morning about Slughorn,” he said. “I think this is something for his Slug Club. He invites all his best students to join. Dad was in it at school. Slughorn got him his mentor at the Auror office. Apparently the Weird Sisters were members too.”

“The band!” Mina exclaimed. She’d listened all of Ginny’s records over the summer and knew the members by name. “Wait – ugh!” She smacked her face. “Great. I refuse to make one disgusting potion and now I’m barred from all the coolest things.” She scowled and checked her watch. “And I have detention in twenty minutes.”

“At least yours isn’t with Snape,” Sora said. She’d been all too happy to adopt Harry and Ron’s opinion of the Potions-master-turned-Defence-professor. “How come I don’t get a letter?”

“Cause you’re a brat,” Mina snapped. She scowled.

“You can go to the dinner for me,” Harry offered, waving his letter towards her. “I’m not going.”

Mina sighed. “No give it to Hermione or Neville, they actually got letters. Besides,” she swept her hair over her shoulder, “I don’t need Slughorn’s stupid club.”

The assertion didn’t mean she stopped being irritated at her exclusion however. In fact, Mina stewed about it all the way up until Slughorn, Snape, and Sprout, the three teachers who’d issued detentions that evening, rose from their seats at the staff table, signaling all the students who’d been unfortunate enough to get stuck in them to scarf down what remained of their dinner while the teachers moved to their classrooms.

Mina waited until the last possible second to stroll into the sixth years Potions classroom. Cauldrons were lined up along the wall when she arrived.

“These are the third and fourth years,” Slughorn said. “For your detention, you’re to clean them. Don’t worry about putting them back, I’ll sort that out later.”

“Fine,” she said, raising her wand.

“Scourgify would be a bad solution here,” Slughorn cautioned her, and he lifted a bottle of green solution, a sponge, and gloves out of his desk. “The potion residue in those particular cauldrons reacts badly to cleaning spells. Hence,” he shook his head. “Why I have saved them for detention.”

Mina made a face. “Fine.”

“Splendid,” he said. “Now you may leave as soon as you’re done. I’ll be in my office should there be any accidents.

 _Like if these turn me into a frog,_ Mina thought as Slughorn retreated from the classroom and to his office, which was further down the hall.

She sighed, rolling up the sleeves of her robes and muttering curses as she set about pulling on the oversized gloves and pouring the solution into the first cauldron. It fizzled and the steam nearly covered her face. Her nose wrinkled. _It smells like licorice and mouth wash_ – _gross!_

It was not a simple process. For one the fumes from the cleaning were already making her hair sticky. For another, The potion residue in the cauldrons resembled everything from grease to tar. And some – like in the cauldron that had _D. Creevey_ written on spell-o-tape on the side – had chunks of dried potion in them the consistency of old gum.

“What did you do?” she muttered as she scrubbed that one. “Brew a permanent sticking charm?” She dug the sponge into the basin of the cauldron for the eleventh time and pushed against the glob of hard potion on the bottom, gritting her teeth until – “Gah!”

The chunk flew out of the cauldron, and the cauldron flew out of her hands. She darted forwards to catch it and her foot slipped on some of the cleaning solution she’d spilled earlier in the hour. She pitched forwards, catching herself on one elbow and rolling onto her back, managing to grab the cauldron on the way down. She sighed, turning towards the closed door of the classroom rather than looking up at the fifteen Cauldrons she still had to scrub.

 _This is a sign,_ Mina thought, setting Creevey’s cauldron beside her. Her arms ached from all the scrubbing, her hair stuck to her face, and she thought she’d never eat licorice again as long as she lived. _I’m not getting up. I’m just going to sleep here._

She had just about decided she had to move when she heard a sound from outside: a sound no one but she or the other senshi would have heard. It was the swish of a cloak. The footfalls that should have accompanied it were absent… as though someone had muffled the sound of their feet.

She trained her eyes on the crack under the door, but could not see a bit of the dim hallway. She waited, the swish of the robes passed the classroom, and she got to her feet.

 _I should have at least seen the shadow of their shoes,_ she thought. She abandoned the cauldrons and drew her wand, creeping to the door and easing it open. She poked her head out into the hall.

 _No one_. She frowned. Flitwick had taught her a spell last year, one to accompany smokescreens or arrow shots. “ _Homenem Revelio”_ she whispered.

There – in the classroom where the seventh years brewed – someone was inside.

She walked swiftly down the hall, right past Slughorn’s office, and up to the classroom.

She turned the handle on the door. The orange shadow of the person that _Homenem Revelio_ had lit up was not inside the classroom, but the storage closet at the back. She could see the orange light under the door.

Mina strode in, wand drawn, and crept around the side of the classroom, ducking behind the teacher’s desk at the front. She leaned around the side, watching the storeroom door. Whoever was trespassing continued shuffling around inside.

“ _Glacius,_ ” she whispered. A thin sheet of ice spread across the floor in front of the storeroom.

The sounds of movement stopped. And she heard the handle on the storeroom door turn.

Mina jumped back as a shadow _flew_ out of the storeroom and over her icy trap, the classroom door burst open and the shadow escaped, dousing all the candles in the room and the hallway as it passed.

Mina’s heart was hammering as she stood up, gaping at the door. _What the hell was that?_ She dashed towards the storeroom, being careful of the ice, and checked over the shelves.

But it all looked orderly: every jar, dried plant, drawer, and the frozen animals appeared as if they had not been touched. She attempted to count them, before realizing she had no idea how much of each ingredient there ought to be.

She walked out and stared at the now melting ice.

 _They flew over it somehow,_ she thought _And that exit made a lot of noise…so they knew I was here._

Perhaps that meant that she scared them. _Or perhaps whatever they were up to was too time-sensitive to deal with me_. She gnawed her lower lip as she hastened back to the sixth year classroom where fifteen cauldrons were still left to clean and considered rushing through them, but opted not to. _I don’t even know where I would start to look for whoever that was,_ Mina thought. _Well… maybe the Slytherin common room._

Malfoy, as Harry was quite sure, was up to something. And Harry, she had found, had decent instincts when it came to Voldemort and his followers. _I’ll see what he thinks of this_.

It was another half hour before she finished her detention, and she more than happily shucked off the gloves and tossed them onto Slughorn’s desk. Thank god she wouldn’t have to see a cauldron again until Monday afternoon. She brushed her hair out of her face and groaned. It was _slimy_. She glared at the now sparkling cauldrons and the cleaning solution on one of the desks. “Whyyy,” she groaned as she stalked out of the classroom.

She was walking across the ground floor towards Gryffindor Tower wondering how many showers she’d need to take to get the feeling of potions out of her hair and wondering if she were now cursed to look like Professor Snape forever when she heard another set of footfalls, loud ones, shuffling towards her.

“Wait!”

 _Sora_? Mina thought, turning around watching the first year trying to run towards her, still favoring her right leg.

“Easy on the ankle,” Mina worried, glad to see the bruise around her eye had faded since dinner.

“It’s getting better,” Sora said. “The nurse said it’ll be fixed tomorrow.”

“Well don’t run on it now,” Mina nagged. She looked in the direction Sora’d come from: nowhere near the Defense classroom. “Did your detention just end?” she asked.

“Nooo.” Sora panted. “It was over an hour ago.”

“And you…what. Went for a stroll.”

“No!” she said. “I took a wrong turn… Can I follow you? I’ve been looking for the tower forever!”

Mina bit her lip, trying very hard not to laugh. “Fine,” she waved Sora in the direction she’d been heading. She looked sideways at her. “You got lost… for an hour?”

“Peeves chased me,” Sora muttered.

Mina raised an eyebrow at her. “This is the second time…are you _afraid_ of the Poltergeist.”

“ _No_ ,” Sora protested. “He just freaks me out.”

Minako sighed. “Use _Waddiwasi_ ,” she said.

“Waddi-what?”

Mina rolled her eyes. “Waddi-wasi. Trust me. You won’t be disappointed.”

Sora nodded, muttering the spell under her breath as Mina led them down the corridor that would take them to the tower stairs (if said stairs were in a decent mood).

Mina frowned as she thought of something. “Did you run into anyone else?” she asked.

“Just a couple kids leaving the library,” Sora said. “Why?”

Mina hesitated. “There was someone down in the Potions dungeons,” she confessed. “Stealing ingredients, I think.”

Sora frowned. “That’s really weird… it couldn’t be a student.”

Mina raised her eyebrows. “How do you know that?”

“Cause you couldn’t possibly be tricked by a student,” Sora said casually. She was smirking.

Mina glared at her. “Why you!” she began to say. Then stopped, “No you’re right.” Those had to have been advanced spells, she considered. “It’d have to be an older student if it was… maybe a pureblood or someone _very_ good at Transfiguration… at least I think that was Transfiguration.” She shook her head. Hermione would be the one to ask.

“What happened to your hair?” Sora asked.

Mina flushed. Running her hand through the sticky, potion-fume-tainted locks. “The potions.” She groaned and mourned: “it shall never be gorgeous again – even if I clean it forever.”

“Oh!” Sora took out her wand. “I can help!” And she pointed her wand at Mina. “ _Aguamenti!”_ she shouted cheerfully.

The fountain of water arched out of the wand and down on top of Mina’s head before she could dodge it, leaving her soaked in cold water _and_ potion slime. “Just when I was warming up to you,” she muttered, glaring down the eleven year old.

Sora rolled her eyes. “I’m not _done_ yet.” She lifted her free hand. “This is one of the only things that still works with this Wix-magic-stuff.” And Mina watched, intrigued as her hand began to glow a bright, teal color.

And so did the water covering her. Mina gaped as the grey-tinged potion residue that had been stuck to her vanished – even the stains on the sleeves of her robes. When the glow faded she was still covered in water, but she was _clean_.

“I take it back.” She declared, running her hand through her now cleaned hair. “Maybe you aren’t a demon child.” She grinned at Sora. “What? You can’t get rid of the water too?”

Sora shrugged. “Well… I got the gross stuff out, didn’t I?”

Mina shook her head. “I guess that does get you _some_ points.” She waved her own wand over herself. The drying charm had been a necessity to master when she’d found out her hairdryer was never going to work here. “Thanks,” she told Sora as they carried on towards the tower entrance. “You’re alright.”

They were in luck: the stairs were parked right at the end of their corridor and they climbed them without trouble. And the staircases cooperated all the way up through the fifth floor landing where they attempted to move as Mina and Sora climbed onto the first step. By then though, Mina hardly cared; wherever the stairs landed from here there would be a route up to the common room. She could already see the Fat Lady two floors above.

“Abstinence,” she told the Portrait when they got there. And she swung open promptly. Mina checked her watch: 4 minutes before curfew.

“Auntie Mina,” Sora said as Mina helped her climb through.

“Yeah?”

“Well… Megumi said to be really careful not to say too much… but she also said I can’t lie to you. So that means I also can’t let you believe a lie.” She smiled at Mina. “Rei would never cheat on you.”

Mina stared at her “Really?” _But Akira…_

Sora crossed her arms. “ _Duh_.”

Rather than glare at her, Mina grinned. “What else was I supposed to think?” _She doesn’t cheat on me!_ “Okay…good that’s good. Then I can tell her about…” She froze.

It had been four days since the sorting… And no one had told Rei about Akira…

Sora snorted. “You’re so busted.” Then she walked away towards the dormitory stairs, leaving Mina standing in front of the portrait hole, now pale as Nearly Headless Nick.

“I’m dead,” Mina murmured. “I’m dead. I’m dead. I’m dead.”

~SMH~

By Thursday morning, the flyers about upcoming Quidditch tryouts had appeared in the Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and the Gryffindor common rooms with information that piqued the entire school’s interest.

All of them declared that tryouts would be the next Saturday from 10 to 2.

“It’s actually brilliant!” Ron said in praise of the idea Makoto’d come up with. “We can play actual games! I mean as long as we don’t put all of one house together – don’t want Kino or _Corner_ ,” he spat the name of the Ravenclaw captain, “Figuring out our strategy.”

The flyers, Harry noticed in the morning, also declared that anyone interested in becoming an announcer for the Quidditch games should be sure to see Madam Hooch. “She must have added that,” he determined.

“No one could ever top Lee,” Ron declared. “D’you think they’ll have them audition at try outs?”

It would have been the most talked about story of the day were it not for the other gossip that had made its way out of Gryffindor that morning – a delightful rumor that passed from Parvati Patil to Padma Patil at the beginning of breakfast and was around all four houses by the first class of the day – Minako Aino had been kicked out of her dorm.

Makoto only heard about it on Tuesday after Muggle Studies from Susan Bones, who'd got it from Lisa Turpin, who'd talked to Terry, who'd heard it from Romalda Vane who'd heard it from Padma, whose sister had seen it happen. Apparently Mina and Rei had gotten into a row. One that had resulted in Minako being kicked out of the dorm and then pitched down the stairs when they'd turned into a slide.

"But I though it only did that to boys?" Ernie Macmillan exclaimed as he walked with them.

Susan shrugged. "Maybe it reacted to Rei – I mean she can light her hand on fire, I wouldn’t be surprised if she can do other wandless stuff."

"But what were they arguing about?" Makoto asked. Sure Mina and Rei squabbled daily, but never over anything that would get Mina so publically kicked out of Rei's bed.

"Well the rumor is that Mina cheated on her with someone," Susan explained

"I thought they said it was Rei?" one of the Ravenclaws walking with them said.

"Then why'd Mina get kicked out?"

"Woah, woah, woah!" Makoto raised both hands, looking between all the gossipers with a shrewd stare. All of them averted their eyes. "Who the hell started that rumor? My friends would never cheat on each other."

"But then why would she kick her out?" Susan asked.

"Ah..." Makoto frowned, thinking as they made their way to the library. "I don't know.”

"Isn't your Little her sister?" Ernie asked. “Maybe she knows.”

Makoto didn’t ask her, but Justin Finch-Fletchley did while the rest of them leaned towards Hannah as she scanned that night’s Evening Prophet for anything about her brother.

"I dunno,” Akira told him, trying to read the paper over Makoto’s shoulder. “But Mina and my sister fight all the time. Last week it was about who ate all the chocolate."

Hannah Abbott was passing the paper along to Susan, shaking her head. “Nothing on your Aunt either,” Hannah whispered, staring down towards her empty plate.

Makoto and Susan had had a hand on each of her shoulders since she sat down though neither could think of anything to say. She’d written to her cousins and gotten a reply during their free period – still no news of Timothy. “Hannah,” Makoto worried. “You should eat something.”

The few newspapers rustled as they were read and passed around the silent Hufflepuff table. Hannah shrugged.

Akira got up from her seat beside Makoto and walked around her, hugging Hannah. And she slipped an apple onto Hannah’s plate.

The sixth year nearly smiled. She cleared her throat. “Doesn’t their fighting bother you, Akira?” she asked in the forced, casual tone she’d maintained the past two days.

Akira shook her head. "They kinda like fighting, I think. But when I have to sort it out, that’s when its bad."

Makoto looked over at the Gryffindor table: Mina and Rei were separated on the bench by five of their friends, and Usagi was across from them, head darting between the two as if trying to keep up with a tennis match. “Well someone might have to talk some sense into them this time too,” Makoto muttered.

Usagi was, as it happened, not trying to keep up with Mina and Rei’s argument, so much as pass along both sides it as one of them was refusing to talk to the other.

"Tell Rei that I'm still sorry," Mina said.

Usagi sighed. This was the fifth apology she'd passed along, as Rei staunchly refused to acknowledge anything Mina said directly. "Mina's still sorry."

"I panicked."

"She panicked," Usagi relayed, arms crossed as she looked tiredly between them. The other sixth and fifth years around them watched the back and forth with a modicum of terror. Rei's wand was on fire. And it had been all day.

"Tell Mina, that's not an excuse."

"Tell Rei I know I was stupid."

"Clearly," Rei muttered before Usagi could tell her so.

Mina jumped on the opportunity. "She just looks so much like you."

Rei glared at her. "So you let me find out _four days later_?"

"Er..."

"And then worse – _you had Hermione tell me_ ,” Rei lambasted her. “Who'd be a much better parent than you, come to think of it." Rei stood from the table. "In fact, now I might take your advice: find someone smart enough to actually trust me."

"Rei!" Mina jumped up from the table too as Rei left her seat. She caught her arm as she passed. "You didn't mean that."

Rei glared at her and jerked her arm away. "You know what they say about self-fulfilling prophecies." And she stormed from the hall – heels echoing across the flagstones.

When she threw open the double doors and disappeared, Mina dropped heavily back into her seat.

"She's gonna leave me," Mina moaned.

"No! Mina!" The despondent blond turned towards Usagi when she shouted. She leaned over the table and put a hand on Mina's arm. "She's just shocked. She's got to be mad while she figures out what else she feels – you know Rei."

Mina nodded. "Do you think she'll take me back?"

"Well duh!" Usagi squeezed her arm. “She loves you.”

Then Sora leaned around Usagi, smirking. "But you're definitely sleeping be on the couch for a while."

Ginny and Ron snorted. Mina groaned and fell forwards towards the table, rattling the glasses and cutlery when she banged her head on the wood. "Great."

~ _SMH_ ~

Mina had initially planned to tell them all the details of her encounter in detention that Thursday, but given the drama with Rei, decided to hold off until Monday, when all the senshi at Hogwarts had planned to hold their first meeting. She really hoped Rei would deign to talk to her by then. As it was, she spent the weekend on the common room couch; the stairs to the girls’ dorms had not yet seen fit to let her in. She even resorted to flying up to the dormitory window on her Firebolt, only to be repelled from the window by a powerful knock-back jinx.

Rather than dwell on it though, she did something she rarely ever did: visited the library. She spent all of Saturday there, and it was so early in the term she barely saw another soul save the snappy Madam Pince.

If she couldn’t sort things out with Rei, she at least had to sort out what the person thieving from the seventh year Potions storeroom had wanted. Which meant researching exactly what kinds of potions the seventh years were learning that had ingredients stored in that room.

Mina (in part due to persistence and in part due to falling asleep on the potions books) was in the library well into the evening Saturday. And so wasn’t around to gripe when Hermione (in Harry’s place), Parvati, and Lavender departed the common room for Slughorn’s office and whatever dinner the Potions Master had planned.

It was an eclectic group of eight students who met each other in the dungeon hallway: Parvati, Lavender, and Hermione from Gryffindor; Ami from Ravenclaw; Makoto from Hufflepuff; and a scowling, strawberry-blond haired boy from Slytherin who seemed to become more and more irritated the larger the group grew. In particular, he gave Hermione a dirty glare when she descended into the Potions dungeons at five minutes of five.

“His problem what I think it is?” Makoto asked, pounding her fist into her palm.

Hermione, for her part, barely spared the fifth year Slytherin a glance. “Probably,” she said. “Doesn’t matter though – I hardly care by now.”

“I do,” Makoto said, glaring towards the Slytherin boy until he looked away.

At a minute to five they all heard twin sets of footfalls clattering through the stone corridors above, and saw Chibiusa and Hotaru race down the stairs.

“Okay,” Chibiusa panted. “We’re not late.”

“We were testing my broom,” Hotaru said. “For try outs.”

Ami was frowning. So was Hermione. “So four of us have been invited…” Ami mused.

“But why Parvati, and Lavender, and… him?” Hermione wondered, looking particularly at the Slytherin boy. “Did Slughorn send out invitations at random?” As she spoke, the door of the Potion Master’s office swung open.

“Good evening!” Slughorn beamed, stepping to the side of the door to let them inside. “Come, come. I dare say the house-elves have outdone themselves! Oh, Miss. Granger, this is a surprise!”

“Sorry,” Hermione said. “I just – well Harry couldn’t come, you see. He had a lot of homework. He thought I’d like to go instead.”

“Oh how generous of him,” Slughorn smiled. “Yes, yes, I’ll have to catch him at the next dinner. Shame, I had really hoped he could attend my first one. But that is absolutely fine,” he insisted, waving them all inside. “Now… we’re waiting on one more… perhaps two though she did mention she was busy. Anyways,” he waved the last of their group – the Slytherin boy – into his office. “Take a seat.”

Slughorn kept his office much differently than Snape had. It was much better lit – with brightly burning candles on the side tables and the walls, and on the dinner table in the center (which, Ami realized from the designs, might well have been a transfigured desk). There were photographs all over the office too: of Slughorn at various ages standing with students, famous Quidditch stars, even several people wearing auror robes or the pressed, professional styles of high-level ministry officials. The office furniture also did not reflect Snape’s previous presence at all. There was a warm, red, white, and brown knit rug covering the stone floor. And all the chairs at the dinner table, the shelves and the cabinets were built from warm, golden hued wood.

They took their seats around the table (which had covered silver dishes of all sizes spread across it). The Slytherin boy was quick to snag the seat between Chibiusa and Parvati – a Slytherin and a pureblood, Makoto noted with growing contempt. Slughorn sat directly across from them, with Hermione and Ami on either side of him. He grinned as he gestured to the covered, metal dinner dishes on the table. “Help yourselves,” he said, checking the watch on his wrist. “We’ll just have to wait for our two stragglers – I do hope they can make an appearance. In the meantime do we all know each other? No wait, of course not.” He chuckled and waved at Chibiusa. “You’re a first year – would you like to introduce yourself?”

Chibiusa grinned, sitting up straighter in her seat.

“My name’s Usagi – everyone calls me Chibiusa,” she said, looking at Ami and Makoto too as though she’d never met them. They did an admirable job of keeping a straight face. “I lived in Tokyo for nine years and I moved to London two years ago.”

“And what do your parents do?” Slughorn asked.

“Weeeell,” Chibiusa said. “My Dad’s a healer, and my mom’s a chef.” And at that, Makoto couldn’t keep from snickering.

“Splendid – yes: Chibiusa impressed me quite a bit on her first day. She’s persistent and loyal, I admire those things a lot. Why I am continually surprised she isn’t a Hufflepuff. Now,” he smiled at the sullen, Slytherin boy next to her. “We also have Mr. Eustace Evercreech. I’ve heard you have the best Muggle Studies marks in your class, Eustace, my boy. Is that true?”

“Yeah,” Evercreech shrugged. “I mean, I hardly think it’s a real class – nothing magical about it. But mother said it might be a good bonus for a ministry job. I love Charms though.”

“Well Muggle Studies is useful for a great many things,” Slughorn said ignoring Evercreech’s addition about Charms completely. He looked at Parvati and Lavender. “And I have a couple of other top students here: Miss. Patil and Miss. Brown. Now, you’re a couple of seers, am I right?

Lavender giggled. “Yes, sir.” She said. “Divination’s the best class ever.”

“Now that is an enthusiasm for learning I wish I could spread to every student,” he beamed. “You know it is so rare to find those adept at the future seeing arts. We didn’t have a Divination course for much of my tenure here, you know. I am most curious to hear about it. Now, I’m sure you know Miss. Kino…” he said, moving on and introducing the last three students. He seemed to have selected them for their academic prowess, Hermione assumed at first, for he was impressed by Ami’s and Makoto’s potions work, as well as her own, and spent a solid two minutes asking Makoto what it was like taking Muggle Studies as a muggleborn, and whether she’d taken similar classes with Setsuna at home (a question which resulted in an elaborate mess of lies and Ami jumping in to help).

When Slughorn got to Hotaru though, he did not mention her classes at all.

“And this is Hotaru Tomoe – Professor Meioh’s daughter. You know I was quite shocked to learn someone her age had a twelve year old.”

“Uh…” Hotaru blanked.

“Professor Meioh is her step-mother,” Ami supplied.

“Erm…right.” Hotaru said, fidgeting in her chair.

“Ah, yes, well that would make sense. I say, she’s quite young to have two professorships. How old is she, Hotaru.”

Hotaru glanced at Chibiusa "Twenty..."

"Eight," Chibiusa supplied.

"Yeah. Twenty eight." Hotaru nodded.

Slughorn’s eyebrows rose. "And she’s managed to raise you and become so professionally accomplished in such a short time. My goodness. Did she do similar work in Tokyo?"

Hotaru squirmed in her seat at being the center of attention and looked to the other senshi for help.

"She was a researcher," Ami jumped in, "for a muggle university,"

"Yeah she could probably teach physics even better than Muggle Studies," Makoto chuckled.

"I see - and what is Physics?"

"It's like Arithmancy," Ami supplied while Hotaru tried to lean back in her chair lest Slughorn want to call on her again. “It has equations and formulas as well, but to describe how the universe works. They use it in everything from muggle transportation to astronomy.”

“Fascinating,” Slughorn said as he passed a basket of bread around the table. “And by all accounts she’s changing the face of Muggle Studies, is that true Mr. Evercreech?”

Evercreech shrugged, “I guess she teaches differently than Babbage… I dunno.”

“Hmm,” Slughorn pursed his lips in clear disappointment. “A shame, well perhaps Miss. Kino could give some insight.”

“I mean she’s been my only teacher, and I’m muggleborn,” Makoto said, “but she even manages to surprise _me_ a lot so I think they’re cool classes.”

“I’ve heard they’re brilliant,” Hermione threw in. “She’s letting me take the OWL late so I can enroll in that class.”

"Now _that_ is ambition – to cram three years of study into a few weeks or months.”

"Well being muggleborn helps," Hermione said. "But I think it’ll be so worth it.”

"You know," Lavender Brown jumped in, eager to get Slughorn’s attention back. "I heard a rumor Professor Meioh didn’t know Divination at all before Dumbledore asked her to teach. Now she's as good as Trelawney.”

"I think she'd better, actually," Parvati said earning a startled look from Lavender. "Well she is."

"Truly?" Slughorn asked, looking eagerly between the four senshi.

"She didn’t know your Divination, but she knew ours just fine," Hotaru muttered.

"Fascinating," Slughorn said, sipping his wine. "Dumbledore told me a bit about her – he was quite good to tell me about all the newer professors when I signed on – And he claimed she could master a subject in no time at all."

"Well she does have those special doors." Lavender giggled as all the senshi and Hermione looked uncomfortably between each other. "I think I make my best predictions in class there."

"And it’s no wonder she knows so much,” Parvati said. “She spends all her time working.” She sighed. “I can’t believe someone as pretty as her doesn’t have a boyfriend.”

Chibiusa covered her face with her hand, to keep from laughing, and Hotaru crossed her arms and ducked her head to hide her blush. This was not a discussion about her mother she wanted any part of.

Slughorn though seemed perfectly happy with the avenue of conversation. He tisked. “Spending all her time working, well that wont do." he smiled jovially at Parvati and Lavender. "I supposed I understand now why she said she was busy tonight. You know I think we should all ask if she'll make time for the next one of these dinners, Don’t you think it'd be good for her to take a break, Hotaru?"

"She doesn’t like parties," Hotaru said, giving Slughorn a hard stare. “So, no.”

He seemed not to recognize her warning look though. He waved a dismissive hand "Oh perhaps just one. Why I have been hosting dinners like this for the students and faculty for decades. And I’ve found in all my years here that those who work their days away are often those who could benefit from parties and companionship the most."

"You seem quite interested in her, Professor," Parvati giggled. And around the table, varied looks of disgust were shared between the senshi: from Ami's slight grimace to Hotaru turning green.

Horace Slughorn, rather than deny it, merely smiled as he took a long sip of his wine, causing Lavender and Parvati to exchange delighted looks and stifle giggles.

"Well," Slughorn said at last. "I am interested in getting to know any person who is so exceptional."

"You know she’s not my only mom,” Hotaru blurted out. “I've got three," she said with a pointed look at Slughorn. "They all raise me together."

"Oh... oh well how delightful," Slughorn chuckled. “That's lovely that your step-mother has such good friends to help her care for you."

Hotaru sighed, slumping backwards in her chair.

~ _SMH_ ~

While Hotaru was wishing desperately for an excuse to leave Slughorn’s stupid dinner, Setsuna was sequestered away in her office in the northern most wing of the castle. And she had a perfectly good reason for turning down Slughorn’s invitation. He had more than understood her excuse of having papers to grade.

Though that was not her reason for skipping the dinner. Rather, it was the future, which clearly showed she was expecting a visit from someone else who had passed up the dinner party.

She was setting aside the fourth year Muggle Studies assignments and had just transitioned over to the fifth years when there was a soft knock at her office door and it was pushed open. The tall, thin first year Ravenclaw slipped through and trained her startling red eyes on Setsuna.

“Hi,” Megumi said, clasping her hands behind her. “I’m sorry I haven’t been to see you earlier.”

“Well you’ve had a very busy first week of classes, it’s understandable,” Setsuna said. She twirled her pen between her fingers as she looked at Megumi. “I’ve been very curious what’s brought you all here – especially given the risk of so many variables coming back in time.”

“It’s not ideal,” Megumi agreed. “But I did not think I could do this independently. Chibiusa’s experience is especially valuable.”

“And what do you need to do?” Setsuna asked, tilting her head to the side.

“This timeline is very volatile,” Megumi said. “And there is a danger that your timeline will split from ours.” Setsuna’s eyes widened as Megumi continued. “I’m here to try and prevent that.”

Setsuna set down her pen. “Because my sight is limited – And I’ve spared barely a thought for Crystal Tokyo how foolish – How much can you see here?” Setsuna asked.

Megumi looked down towards her shoes, thinking for a few moments. Finally she said. “I can see the path we are on vaguely… but the magic here is making it a lot harder to see changes or details.”

“It was that way for us all last year,” Setsuna said. “There is a potion – I can have Professor Snape brew it for you. It brings back one’s sight to a certain degree. It isn’t perfect but…”

“That’d be really good,” Megumi said quickly, nodding her head several times.

“When you can see clearly, I need you to tell me something,” Setsuna said. “Whether you can see a Bellatrix Lestrange.”

Megumi frowned. “There’s… someone you can’t see?”

Setsuna shook her head. “Her timeline appears normal, except that it does not account for any of the decisions she has made in the last thirty-five days.”

“Lestrange…” Megumi muttered. Goosebumps rose on the back of Setsuna’s neck as Megumi bit her lip and made the same face Setsuna knew she did when she was thinking hard about something. “I’ll look for her,” Megumi nodded at last.

Setsuna stood slowly from her desk, staring at the child who continued to be unnervingly similar to herself. _It is still impossible,_ she persistently thought. She was the Eternal Guardian of Time and yet this girl…

“Who are you?” Setsuna whispered.

Megumi looked up at her. Setsuna’d never realized her own eye color looked that serious. “I’m a Guardian of Time,” Megumi said after a minute.

“And there can only ever be one Guardian of Time,” Setsuna repeated as she often had this week, a fact she’d known for as long as she’d existed. “So I can infer that in your time, I no longer exist.”

“That is the conclusion Hotaru has reached as well,” Megumi said.

 _Little One…_ Setsuna clenched her hands into fists, hanging her head and staring at an empty spot on her desk. _Of course she would realize it._ Hotaru’d questioned Setsuna about her duty enough to know it as well as she did. _How could I not think to check on her_. _To learn this – especially after her father_. She shook her head. “I’ll speak with her.” Setsuna said, looking back at Megumi, whom, she realized, had dodged her question. “Still… I do not understand: You look quite similar to me.”

Megumi nodded her head. “It is…” she hesitated, “as coincidental as anything. The forces in the universe that create the Guardian of Time made us both from the same elements. Technically,” Megumi smiled. “It is actually quite accurate to call us cousins.” Setsuna nodded as well, and her gaze settled on one of the stacks of papers on her desk, she stared at the purple “E” she’d just written across the top-most essay.

After a while, she looked back up at Megumi. She had to be sure. “Then you are not my daughter?”

Megumi shook her head. And (unseen by Setsuna) crossed two fingers behind her back.

~ _SMH_ ~

By Monday at lunch, Rei was still not speaking to Minako, and there was a new consensus between Hotaru and her sixth year friends that Horace Slughorn was far, far too interested in Setsuna. Hotaru herself seemed to have made keeping the two apart her personal mission. She intercepted Slughorn’s attempts to sit next to her at breakfast and lunch on Monday: at breakfast by getting Luna to help her block his route up the aisle until the seats beside Setsuna were taken, and at lunch by casting a rudimentary cutting charm at the legs of Slughorn’s chair. The second had failed to work. Slughorn had simply repaired the chair.

And worse: her mother had noticed.

“I don’t know what you have against him,” Setsuna told her, smiling brightly as they walked out onto the sunny grounds after lunch. “He’s fairly over-eager at times, and quite curious. But he’s a wonderful teacher. Even Mcgonagall says so.”

“But he’s,”

“What?” Setsuna asked, still smiling.

“ _Interested_ in you,” Hotaru insisted.

Setsuna chuckled. “That’s not it at all, Hotaru, I promise,” she said. “He’s merely very academically curious.”

Hotaru pouted, watching Setsuna’s bright smile. “You’re happy,” she observed. “Did you see something good?”

“I saw something very good,” Setsuna told her. She’d spent the last day and a half in the Time Dimension experimenting with the Wix divining techniques and it had heartily paid off early this morning. “It’s information for the meeting,” she told Hotaru. By now they could both see the four sixth year senshi standing on top of a grassy slope. It was a perfect view of the open field where Madam Hooch was conducting the first years’ first flying lesson.

“How are they doing?” Setsuna asked, standing beside Makoto.

“Chibiusa got it in three tries,” Usagi beamed, pointing her out between the Carrow twins, who were still trying to yell their broomsticks off the ground. Chibiusa was holding hers in both hands, bouncing on her toes in excitement the same way Usagi was doing now.

“Sora got it in two seconds,” Mina said.

“Hooch has already gone up to her twice to tell her not to try flying yet,” Ami chuckled.

“And my Little’s got hers too,” Makoto boasted.

“She’s helping everyone else get theirs.” Rei (who was standing several paces away from Mina) said. She nodded towards Akira who was currently coaching a red-faced Ravenclaw boy through summoning the broom. “Because she’s a considerate person.” She glared at Mina. “Clearly she’s not yours.”

Mina sighed, “When will I be forgiven for this?”

“Not quickly,” Rei retorted.

“But… what was I supposed to think?” Mina sputtered.

“Something other than that I would cheat on you.”

“But – oh come on!” She glanced around at the others. “Guys…you thought the same thing.”

“I was confused,” Makoto said, smirking at her. “ _You’re_ the only one who jumped to infidelity.”

“It seemed entirely out of character for Rei,” Ami agreed.

“Yeah – she’d have broken up with you way before she cheated,” Usagi threw in. “I think you need to trust her more, Mina – Mamo-chan would trust _me_.”

Mina’s shoulders slumped. She glanced at Rei. “Of course I trust you,” she said. “It’s just that you’re incredible, and I got scared I wouldn’t be enough for you. Plus you’re beautiful – Everyone wants to date you. You could take your pick!”

Rei’s blush was perfectly clear on the rare sunny day. “Of course I could have whomever I want,” she said, brushing her hair over her shoulder and glancing sideways at Mina. She smiled, holding out her hand. “But I love you.”

The other inner senshi grinned and Usagi squeaked as Mina and Rei clasped hands.

“And,” Rei said. “Why the hell would I be stupid enough to cheat on the Goddess of Love?” She smirked. “I’m not giving you up for anything.”

Mina’s smile turned mischievous and she wagged her eyebrows at Rei. “ _Really.”_

“Speaking of,” Rei whispered in Minako’s ear (considerate of Hotaru’s presence though she hardly cared about the rest of their friends’ blushes). “There’s much better ways you could be apologizing to me.”

Mina brought Rei’s hand to her mouth and kissed it. “What’d you have in mind?”

“Guys!” Usagi whined.

“Oh like you’re won’t be just the same when you get Mamoru back,” Rei retorted, turning back towards the flying practice. Hooch had just given the go ahead for all the first years to mount their brooms.

Mina waited until Hooch had all the first years hovering a safe three feet off the ground, before starting out their meeting. “To start with,” she said. “Something happened in detention last week.” And she relayed to them the entire episode of the invisible person she’d caught stealing from the storeroom.

“Did you have any luck determining what they took?” Ami asked.

But Mina shook her head, eyes on the first years as Hooch coached them through how to control their ascent. “There was too much information to go through in those books. And I don’t have a complete inventory of the potions storeroom.”

“Then perhaps it’d be best to ask Horace what rare ingredients he keeps,” Setsuna said. “Ones not easily ordered.”

All the senshi nodded. “Any luck with Lestrange?” Mina asked her

“As a matter a fact,” Setsuna began to say when a sharp movement from the flying class caught their attention – Megumi had just shot up fifty feet in the air, and was pressed against her broom as it continued to climb. Setsuna stiffened, hand going to her wand. Hooch was already streaming up towards the first year when a sharp, highland wind blew past and knocked her from the broom.

Setsuna whipped her wand out, about to halt her descent, when a streak of turquoise and then maroon broke free of the group of first years, Sora dove after Megumi, catching her by the wrist, and Akira zoomed up after the errant broom, chasing and retrieving it before it could disappear over the forbidden forest.

Setsuna and the others sighed in relief.

“Do you think they’ll try for Quidditch?” Makoto asked the others.

While they debated (Mina insistent that the Gryffindor team remain Sora-free for her own sanity) Setsuna tried to regain her composure. Megumi was safely on the ground now. And from the look of it, Madam Hooch had told her she could sit out the rest of the lesson.

 _You’re being ridiculous._ Setsuna chastised herself as she pulled the flask from her belt and uncorked it, gulping down some of the steaming liquid inside.

Hotaru wrinkled her nose, glancing up at Setsuna. “What is that?”

“Pepper-up potion.” Setsuna told her. “I need it after this weekend.”

“What did you do?” Mina asked.

Setsuna smirked. “I discovered that Lestrange has not covered her tracks nearly as well as she thinks. I caught a glimpse of her this morning.”

“You didn’t work all weekend did you?” Usagi worried.

Setsuna though brushed off her concerns. “I won’t need to anymore as long as it’s possible to see her. And,” she took another sip of the potion. “I expect we’ll see at least one of her hiding places overturned by the weekend.”

~ _SMH_ ~

The evidence of some action came on Wednesday, with the arrival of the _Daily Prophet:_

 ** _“ANCIENT PUREBLOOD PROPERTY RANSACKED”_** the headline said. Setsuna read through the description of the destroyed and looted manor house in Cornwall with growing satisfaction. The dark objects in the house had been confiscated or destroyed, and two Death Eaters had even been apprehended by vigilantes whose description perfectly matched Sailors Uranus and Neptune. But Setsuna frowned when she reached the end of the article. She read it over again. And then again, a third time.

Everything was exactly as her vision of Lestrange had predicted except the paper said nothing about recovered hostages.

She looked to the Hufflepuff table. Any minute now, the large barn owl with her brother’s letter would arrive for Hannah Abbott, telling her he was alright, safe, would write to her again soon. Setsuna waited all through breakfast.

But the owl never came. Hannah continued staring despondently at her breakfast.

 _They should have found him_ , Setsuna thought, summoning the Time Doors the second she could excuse herself from breakfast. _I saw it_.

But the sands of time only revealed the same timeline Lestrange had had when she’d glimpsed her future on Monday – no new decisions taken into account. And Timothy Abbott was as hidden from her sight as he had been when he’d gone missing the week before. Not even employing the technique with a crystal ball which she had resorted to Monday showed her anything different.

Setsuna clenched her fists. Lestrange had predicted her attack. And somehow, between now and Monday, had slipped back out of Setsuna’s reach.

~ _SMH_ ~

Something had happened, the senshi determined as their second week at Hogwarts continued. They barely saw Setsuna all of Wednesday through Saturday morning. Uranus and Neptune had had some mission, and from the paper it appeared to have been a successful one too. But the sullen and broody mood they’d glimpsed on Setsuna’s face the few times they saw her that week said otherwise.

They weren’t sure at first if they would see her Saturday either. But she’d promised Hotaru that she would be there for her Quidditch try outs. And she made good on that promise. Hotaru spotted her in the teacher’s box with Hooch and Mcgonagall as she and her sixth and fifth year friends made their way out of the castle and across the dewy grounds.

As the large group that included the senshi and their Gryffindor cohorts approached the Quidditch pitch, they could make out many students – even several in Slytherin green – already out in the stands, all of them eager to watch, and there were surely just as many hidden within the bounds of the pitch ready to try their luck at making the house teams.

“Suppose they’re here to watch or to spy?” Ron asked, glaring towards one stand that had only Slytherin students.

“Bit of both, I bet,” Mina muttered.

“Let’em spy then,” Makoto said, smirking. “We’re gonna scare’em right off their brooms.”

“Yeah!” Ginny said, holding out her hand to give Makoto a high five.

Harry’d been staring up at the Slytherin stands as well, and so was the first to spot the dark spec when it appeared below the grey clouds. He stopped short, drawing his wand. “Heads up.”

All through the cluster of students, wands and one glaive were pointed towards the sky.

“It’s only a broomstick,” Mina determined after a minute, though they all kept their wands pointed towards the rider.

Or rather, they could see as the broom approached the pitch: two riders sharing the same broom.

“They don’t look like Death Eaters,” Neville commented. And it was clear to the rest of them too as the broomstick circled lower, gradually nearing the ground. The rider on the front of the broom was wearing muggle jeans that no Death Eater would be caught dead in. And the second rider, pressed against their back, had bright turquoise hair whipping behind her.

Hotaru gasped, vanishing her glaive as the two riders landed softly in front of the pitch. She sprinted away from the group towards the two women. The blond knelt as soon as she saw her, holding out both arms for Hotaru to run into them.

“Haruka! Mama!”

~ _I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good~_


	6. S.W.O.S.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quidditch gets underway at Hogwarts, and we learn a bit about the war getting underway outside of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> technically this is still within my biweekly timeframe, but I feel I should apologise for the lateness anyways. Its been a difficult two weeks for writing. (humidity, heat, stress from job applications, and the typical dread about the realities of your prospected future that accompany many millennials were contributing factors). I digress, the chapter is here! Look at chapter 1 for a disclaimer! I enjoyed writing this even as challenging as it was. Some things I'm nervous about are the Quidditch and the explanations of Setsuna's powers (how exactly does one extrapolate on the uncomprehendible enormity of timey-whimy powers? Apologies if there's not as much of any particular character as you're hoping. I'm struggling with the big cast and the big plot (I can admit I probably gave myself a much more challenging job than I had too. good thing I have this to learn from when I do book 7).  
> As always, enjoy, and I'd love your comments if you'd like to take the time to leave them. (I'm looking at you Dalek and gh if you're up to it - I love our discussions.
> 
> ALSO: CHECK OUT THIS SICK COVER ART THAT @pump-ink MADE FOR ME OVER ON TUMBLR! ISN"T IT BEAUTIFUL!!!!

**S.W.O.S.**

Setsuna grinned as Haruka and Michiru emerged from the staircase to the teachers box. “You made it!”

“Of course we did,” Michiru said, sliding into the seat next to her. She gave Setsuna a curious look “Did we surprise you?”

“I’ve been focused on other things,” Setsuna said.

“Well _that_ we know.” Haruka smirked, sitting down on Michiru’s other side. “We got her letter,” she said, nodding to Minerva. “Apparently smoke was coming out of your ears on Thursday.”

Rolanda Hooch snorted. Setsuna blushed and glared at Minerva. “I thought we had an agreement?”

“One which you didn’t listen to,” Minerva said with a shrug. “You have your head so focused on this war, you’re going to forget you have help – I have seen Albus do it too many times.” She wagged her finger at Setsuna. “You are not going to do the same.”

“But we can talk about that later,” Michiru said, leaning down towards the field and smiling as Hotaru waved up at them.

Haruka waved back even more exuberantly. “What do you think she’ll get?” Haruka asked. “She said she wanted Seeker.”

“Well she’s got Cho Chang to contend with for that,” Rolanda Hooch said. “Ravenclaw hasn’t had anyone try for it in two years though, so I’ll be interested to see what happens.” She squinted down at the field. “Did you give Kino your broom?”

“Nah,” Haruka grinned. “I bought that one for her.” She shrugged. “Kid needs to learn to treat herself once in a while – especially when she does things like become Captain.” She fidgeted in her seat, waving down at Hotaru again. “They look ready. Are they starting soon?”

“In a minute,” Rolanda stood and surveyed the field below. “We’re waiting for – aha!” she nodded. “They’re on their way up. Means I can rally the troops.” And she rose from the bench and walked to the edge of the box. She stood atop the wall and turned, blowing a kiss to Minerva “Get me one with a decent sense of humor.” And she stepped backwards off the edge of the tower. Michiru and Haruka jumped.

But Madam Hooch zoomed up into the air, riding the silver-blue broomstick that had been hovering just below their box.

“Show off.” Minerva smiled. She glanced over at the stairs to the tower. There were, Haruka and Michiru realized, the sounds of multiple feet stomping up to the top.

They recognized only one of the three students: Luna Lovegood, stepping serenely up the stairs behind the short maroon haired girl in Hufflepuff robes who charged out ahead of her. Luna had her wand sticking out of a rather creative hairstyle and her signature radish earrings shown bright red against the black of her robes. She smiled and waved at Michiru and Haruka when she saw them.

“Are you here to see Hotaru?” Luna asked.

“Wasn’t gonna miss it,” Haruka said, though Michiru only nodded, staring curiously at the maroon haired girl who’d beat Luna up the stairs and was now talking to the Gryffindor boy with the large camera who’d accompanied them. Now that she looked, Haruka frowned. She noticed the familiar power as well. She turned to Setsuna. She hadn’t reacted at all.

“Is this everyone Professor?” Luna had just asked Mcgonagall.

Mcgonagall nodded. “Yes it is. And I will pick whomever I think will be good at the job. That might mean one of you covers the whole season or more than one of you splits the game schedule. Be aware –” she looked especially hard at the Gyffindor boy “– you will need to give a fair assessment of each game _and_ focus your attention on more than one player or team. Not just your favorites.” She gestured to the pitch. “Now how you will audition today…”

While she spoke, Michiru turned towards Setsuna and Haruka. “Her energy is like ours.” She murmured, waving her wand and summoning the Aqua Mirror. She gazed into it _Friend or foe_? She thought. The glass became murky, glowing a slight teal.

“It is like ours for good reason.” Setsuna told the two of them. “Akira Hino’s come here with Chibiusa.”

“Chibiusa’s here?” Haruka asked. “Wait, _Hino_?” She glanced towards the girl currently testing out what looked like a magical megaphone.

“What’s happened in the future now?” Michiru worried, frowning at the mirror as it showed her a close up of the students currently lining up to do a test lap of the pitch. She squinted as the image became clearer, trying to understand what knowledge it was trying to impart.

“Nothing’s happening in the future,” Setsuna said. “They’re here to help us with something.” She cleared her throat. “Chibiusa and Akira have come with two other friends. One of them you may be… particularly interested in.”

As Setsuna spoke, and the whistle blew below, Michiru was distracted by the mirror. It showed her a close up of the large group of students racing around the stadium. _What is it?_ Ginny and Mina were in the lead.

And then from below them, another flyer streaked out ahead, and Michiru gasped as she turned on her broom, combing her turquoise hair out of her face and sticking her tongue out at Mina, breaking out ahead of the pack…

She shot out of her seat, and stood up on the bench.

“Michiru?” Haruka asked, standing along side her. Michiru was staring at the pitch. She pointed at the flyers currently racing towards the goal hoops. Haruka’s gaze darted towards the student she was pointing at. Her eyes widened to the size of galleons.

The small flyer in the front jerked quickly into her first turn and seemed to tumble into a spin around the back of the hoops. Michiru squeaked and grabbed Haruka’s hand as the small girl crashed through the bronze and blue covering on one of the towers and, after half the flyers had passed, burst out the other side. She pulled herself even closer to the broom to try to catch up with the front of the race.

Setsuna stood up on their other side, studying their stunned faces with a half smile on her face. _She’s told everyone she’s your sister_ , she thought to Michiru. _So you’re aware._

“What’s her name?” Haruka whispered hoarsely.

“Sora.” Setsuna said and saw Michiru and Haruka jump. She looked back out at the pitch.

Somewhere between midfield and the second set of hoops, Sora’d managed to catch up with the front of the pack, and was neck and neck with Mina again, but her broom was barrel rolling across the stands. It spun all the way through the second turn before Sora regained control of it, this time just skimming the next of the pitch’s tall towers. Sora shot out towards the final stretch of the lap just behind Ginny Weasley. She landed at a run a hairsbreadth ahead of Mina, managing to trip seconds after hitting the ground. She, splashed face first into the mud.

“From what I’ve heard of her,” Setsuna said. “That happens often.”

~ _SMH_ ~

She might have been ungainly and prone to crashing into things. But Harry had to admit, for a kid on a school broom, Sora Kaioh was fast. He put a check mark next to her name as the first test of the tryouts finished.

“Do you need your glasses checked, Potter?” Michael Corner exclaimed as he read Harry’s list of passing candidates. “She’s clearly an unstable flyer.”

Harry’d shrugged. “She nearly beat Ginny on a school broom.”

“So she got lucky,” Michael scoffed.

“Well… I won by swallowing a snitch when I was a first year,” Harry remarked. “I’ll take lucky.”

It didn’t seem to be entirely luck either. To whittle down a few more of their choices before scrimmaging, the three Captains had all the hopefuls remaining go through a passing drill. Or, in the case of the beaters, a batting drill. Veterans of all teams qualified with no trouble, and (though some of her catches appeared more like the Quaffle had hit her in the face) Sora’d caught everything she’d been thrown.

By the end of that trial, only a quarter of the Quidditch hopefuls remained, and Sora Kaioh (with nine successful passes and a tumble through a goal hoop) was one of just two first years to move on to the scrimmages.

The stands by then were almost half full of students who’d been drawn out into the relatively fair weather to watch as the three captains divvied up their choices. They had Hooch hold onto the snitch for now, Harry commenting that it would make the time of each scrimmage vary wildly. Instead they saved the Seeker trials for last and tried out the remaining positions in six minute scrimmages.

The first tested out both of Gryffindor’s keeper hopefuls: pitting Ron Weasley against Cormac Mclaggen, the top two pairs of Hufflepuff’s beaters against eachother, and a chaser line comprised of Katie Bell, Dean Thomas, and a plucky Hufflepuff second year against Dennis Creevey and two older Ravenclaws.

Harry admitted it might have been unfair to Mclaggen to put Katie Bell on Ron’s team. But, (as she knocked her third successful shot past his goal hoops and pumped her fist) he couldn’t help feeling relieved. Ron, whether because of practicing all last year or because he was having an extraordinarily good day, had yet to let in a single shot.

Harry glanced up towards the stands when Katie knocked Mclaggen and the Quaffle through the goal hoops for her third goal. Hermione was grinning, not unlike Sirius did when he heard something unpleasant had happened to Snape.

“Take that,” Hermione muttered triumphantly as Mclaggen’s chances of ousting Ron from the Gryffindor roster fell by another ten points.

Around her, Neville, Ami, Usagi, and Chibiusa (disguised in a huge, red Gryffindor cloak) laughed.

“I don’t think Harry’d ever actually put him on the team,” Neville said. “The way Ginny and Katie go on it seems like no one’d get along with him.”

“Of course Harry knows Ron will always be better than Mclaggen,” Hermione said “But – YES!” Dean Thomas had just whacked the quaffle through Cormac’s hoops with the end of his broom. “It’s just… nice to see Ron doing so much better,” she explained, blushing. “I mean, he practices so hard – and Mclaggen is a prick.”

Chibiusa giggled, leaning forwards in Usagi’s arms and peering up at the teachers box “I think they noticed her,” Chibiusa said.

Usagi lifted her chin off of Chibiusa’s head and looked up.

Colin Creevey was making an enthusiastic attempt at being the Quidditch Announcer and Setsuna was behind him, talking to Mcgonagall. But Michiru and Haruka were leaning over the wall of the box, eyes riveted on the cluster of Gryffindors standing on the side of the pitch.

“What gave it away?” Usagi asked, giggling. “I’m glad I’m not the only one being startled by my future staring me in the face.”

“Hey I thought you liked your future?” Chibiusa asked, making a face and swiveling around to pout at Usagi.

Usagi hugged her tighter. “I do.” She messed up her pink hair. “Doesn’t mean meeting you wasn’t a shock though.”

“Guys look!” Ami pointed down at the field. Hooch had just blown the whistle. “Hotaru’s up.”

Indeed she was: lining up between Ginny Weasley and Justin Finch-Fletchley on the left side of the field.

“ _Good Luck Hotaru!”_ Luna’s voice echoed down from the teacher’s box. “ _You know I still think it’s a shame she can’t use the Glaive as a broomstick – that would be quite striking… oh yes, right, We’re going to have Madam Hooch blow the whistle… NOW!”_

The Ravenclaw-heavy scrimmage got going quickly: with two third years (Orla Quirk and Stewart Ackerley) snaring early control of the bludgers from two older, fifth year girls. And Ginny, once she’d dove to catch the Quaffle that Finch-Fletchley had fumbled, got an easy goal early in the game.

“Dunno why you’re making Ginny tryout at all,” Michael Corner commented to Harry as they watched the players. “I mean – she’s so good Potter. Hell: she might go pro.”

“Well it’s fair.” Harry shrugged. “I don’t like being accused of just picking my friends.”

Ginny was, as it happened, the only chaser who could get close to a goal on veteran Ravenclaw Keeper, Chambers. Harry grinned when she and Hotaru got the drop on him for the third time in a row. He saved the shot – narrowly.

Hotaru was doing fairly well over all – certainly better than Justin who kept missing his passes and throws due to trying to look impressive. Harry was so busy cheering when Hotaru stole the ball from Zacharius Smith that he missed a neat dodging maneuver from the other Gryffindor Chaser hopeful in the game.

Ginny continued to shine too. At one point halfway through the scrimmage she caught the attention of the opposing beaters as she flew towards the hoops. They batted the bludger straight at her and she kept flying, rolling away at the last second. The bludger soared straight for the keeper who dove to avoid it, and Ginny sent the quaffle sailing neatly through the unguarded hoop.

“She is something else,” Michael Corner murmured to the other two captains. Then he laughed and elbowed Harry. “Got an amazing form, am I right Potter?”

Harry flushed and kept his eyes on the ball as it was passed down the field.

“She’s brilliant at Quidditch, yeah,” he said.

Michael smirked. “Oh, come off it, Potter. You know what I meant. Hey – heard she broke it off with Thomas.”

“I, uh, guess so,” Harry frowned. “She mentioned it.”

“Weeeell – guess that means she’s looking again. Think I might let her know I’ll give her a second chance with me.” His eyes bypassed his own players as he tracked Ginny down the field. “Yeah – amazing form.”

Makoto glared at him. “You’re being a pig – you know your beater just made an excellent shot and you weren’t even looking.”

“Which one!” He asked.

“The one in blue.” Harry smirked, earning a snort from Makoto.

Michael scowled at them both. “Shut up, Potter – she’s already dated me last year. She’s never dated you.”

“Don’t listen to him Harry,” Makoto told him. Out on the field, Luna Lovegood mourned the demise of yet another potential goal thanks to an interception by Hotaru Tomoe, getting all but Michael to laugh.

“You know…” Makoto glanced at Michael. “Ginny _did_ say you’re on her list.”

“What list?” Harry and Michael demanded in unison.

“Oh, the one with boys she’d potentially date – She said Michael’s nice to look at… but she hasn’t decided if it makes up for…” she trailed off and shrugged.

“For what?” Michael begged. “For _what?”_

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Makoto teased.

Michael scowled, missing yet another play by his beaters. “Yeah, well at least I’m on her list – unlike Potter.”

“Oh Harry’s on the list,” Makoto said. She smirked when Harry’s head whipped towards her so fast he knocked his glasses askew. “But I’m not telling you what she says about you.” She tracked her two chasers with her eyes. Finch-Fletchley continued to put too much bravado into his maneuvers, but Smith was giving a careful go at it. Sure, he was a twit. But she was sure if nothing else she could scare him into listening to her. She put another star next to his name. Anyone who got five would make the Hufflepuff squad. Smith currently had four.

“But… Makoto come on – please,” Harry begged.

“Nope.”

“Why?”

Makoto gave him a serious look. “Because that would break girl code. You want to know why you’re on her list, you ask her yourself.”

The second scrimmage finished in a near tie and in Michael Corner scrambling to recall which of his players he’d seen perform best. It made it easy to decide which Keepers would play in the third scrimmage, as Michael found he had no way of determining whether his veteran or the upcoming fifth year had done better.

So the last scrimmage of the day pitted Mina and Rei against rival Gryffindors Jack Sloper and Jimmy Peakes. The last potential Ravenclaw, second year Ida Keelan, played Chaser on Sloper and Peakes side, in a line up with the seventh and fourth year Hufflepuff veterans Cadawallar and Summerby. Against them were Laura Madley of Hufflepuff, a quiet fourth year Gryffindor named Mary Doyle, and the first year that had everyone in the teachers box leaning out of their seats: Sora Kaioh.

Akira Hino, the last announcer candidate tapped her Megaphone as the teams got into formation on the center line.

“ _GOOD AFTERNOON LIONS, BADGERS, AND CLAWS – OH MY!”_ she giggled alongside several half-bloods and most of the muggleborns as all the senshi on the pitch snapped their heads towards the teacher’s box.

“She’s announcing?” Mina whispered to Rei.

 _“WHILE THEY WRANGLE THAT BLUDGER,”_ Akira’s voice boomed out of the speakers. _“I’VE BEEN WONDERING: ARE YOU RAVENCLAW’S RAVENS OR EAGLES, NONE OF THE HUFFLEPUFFS CAN TELL ME.”_

“I’ve never heard her speak before.” Mina realized. “I thought she’d be quieter like you.”

“Hmm,” Rei rolled her eyes. “I wonder who she could have got that from?”

 _“LETS HEAR FROM THE CROWD – WHO THINKS RAVENS?”_ About a third of the stands, including many Ravenclaws, cheered. _“WHO THINKS EAGLES?”_

Another two thirds of the stands, and an even greater share of the Ravenclaws.

_“SOUNDS LIKE RAVENCLAW HAS SOME SERIOUS QUESTIONS TO SOLVE – OOOH! WE’VE GOT THE LAST BLUDGER! OKAY HERE GOES!”_

Mina darted her head around when she realized the other players had shot forwards. Hooch had released the Quaffle. “Shit!” She streamed off towards the Bludger that Sloper kid had just sent hurtling towards her Chasers and knocked it off course with the tip of her bat. Rei recovered it seconds before Peakes or Sloper could.

 _“LOOKS LIKE AINO AND MY SISTER ARE A LITTLE DISTRACTED – COME ON GUYS LESS FLIRTING, MORE BEATING.”_ Their kid in the announcers seat giggled. _“OH THAT’S TEN POINTS FOR THE TEAM WITHOUT A RAVENCLAW… THE GRYFFINPUFFS? WOAH! CHAMBERS IS MAKING A BREAKAWAY DOWN FIELD!”_

That caught Sora’s attention. The opposing Keeper, with Sloper and Peakes flying above him with a bludger, was closing in on her team’s hoops – both her other chasers were still leagues away on the other end of the pitch.

She soared up, above the Keeper and his Beaters. Sloper and Peakes didn’t see her yet, busy lining up a bludger shot towards the opposing Keeper.

Shouting, Sora dove straight down, skating right past the bludger as it was volleyed between the beaters and startling Chambers into jerking his broom to a halt. She plucked the ball from his hands as tumbled downwards. “Woah!”

_“LOOKS LIKE KAIOH’S FLYING IN CIRCLES OVER THERE. SORA – YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO FLY IT TOWARDS THE HOOPS, NOT THE GROUND – AND IT LOOKS LIKE SHE’S GOT A CHASER COMING TO ASSIST. GOOD THING TOO CAUSE PEAKES JUST GOT THAT BLUDGER BACK.”_

“I can’t watch this,” Michiru murmured, though she continued to stare unblinking at the first year who was still somersaulting towards the ground, now with a bludger streaming towards her. One of her Chasers zoomed in, and she tossed the ball towards her, pointing down field as she tumbled. The other Chaser shot off towards the hoops. A stream of red and gold got between Sora and the Bludger

“ _NICE HIT BY AINO OVER THERE – SHES DEFINITELY EARNING HER SPOT BACK. – OH!”_ Akira leaned over the side of the box with Michiru, Setsuna, and Haruka. “ _WELL KAIOH’S GOT HER BROOM FLYING THE RIGHT WAY, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE ALL THAT SPINNING MADE HER DIIIIIZZY.”_

The first year was flying upside-down, up towards the two older Chasers bringing the Quaffle back down field. Sora drew impossibly close to the broom as she flew towards them, and then let go of her broom as she passed, hitting the Quaffle as they passed it between each other and sending it back towards one of her fellow chasers. She raced towards them, crashing into the third opposing Chaser on her way down field. Both of them spun off course. The other chaser smashed into the stands; Sora into Jack Sloper.

“ _WELL THAT’S ONE WAY TO TAKE OUT THE OPPOSITION – AND ANOTHER TEN POINTS! DOYLE’S GOT THE GOAL!”_

The scrimmage carried on in that fashion for another ten minutes: Michiru squeezing Haruka’s arm tightly each time Sora recovered the ball by crashing into a player…or a bludger…or the stands. At one point she got a goal by flying _into_ the building-sized Keeper and through the goal hoop.

She looked at Haruka once, after Sora’d been knocked into a goal post by a bludger, to check that she wasn’t worrying herself to death. “Are you…” she trailed off. And glared.

Haruka was _grinning_.

“ _Why do you look happy about this?_ ” Michiru seethed.

Haruka didn’t notice her tone. “Course I’m happy – look at her! She just knocked that kid off his broom! He’s three times as big as her. She’s a little genius – Woah!”

“What?” Michiru said, snapping her eyes back towards the field.

“Did you see that! _She just intercepted the bludger_.”

“ _By crashing into it!_ ” Michiru hissed. “Look at her, she’s cracked a rib!”

“And she’s still flying,” Haruka said gleefully.

“ _HARUKA!”_

 _“_ What-oh.” Haruka paled. “I…I mean uh. She’s being very reckless.”

“ _You think this is funny,”_ Michiru seethed.

“Well…eh. Come on Michi! Look she just got another goal. She’s gotten five. You should be impressed – Setsuna,” she leaned around Michiru and trained pleading eyes on the time guardian. “She’s impressive right.”

“Well… her strategy of reckless abandon seems to be winning them more points… I am not sure if it _is_ strategy.”

“And who is it let her fly that… deadly magical contraption.” Michiru stewed, rounding on Haruka. “It was you wasn’t it!”

“Uh…” Haruka frowned. “I…guess so.”

“ _AND THAT’S TIME!_ ” Akira Hino shouted through the megaphone. “ _HOW’D I DO PROFESSOR MCGONAGALL?”_

All of them looked back towards the Transfiguration Professor – who was covering her laughter with one hand. She shot the first year a thumbs up.

“Thank goodness that’s over,” Michiru said.

“Oh not yet, I don’t think.” Luna Lovegood said, pointing down towards the three teams. “They’ve all still got to test their seekers.”

The plan was simple: Hooch would release two Snitches onto the pitch, and which ever of Ravenclaw’s and Hufflepuff’s hopefuls caught theirs first would be declared the team Seeker.

Harry was about to turn into the locker room, having added all his old members to the current team and needing to decide which hopeful got the remaining Chaser slot, when a muddy first year rushed in front of him.

“Wait!” Sora Kaioh said. “I wanna try for Seeker.”

“I’m the seeker.” Harry frowned.

“I know – but everyone else had to try for their spot.” She crossed her arms. “So shouldn’t you prove you deserve yours.”

“I’m the…” Harry stopped and sighed. He had been dying to fly all day. “Alright fine.”

“ _YES!”_ she said, running ahead of him over to Hooch in the center of the field.

Hooch saw them and raised an eyebrow, summoning a third snitch from the equipment trunk. “Gryffindors never could turn down a dare could they Potter,” she said. “Right you two.” She tapped the snitch, its golden surface shimmering until it was painted over in red. She let it hover in the hair alongside a yellow and a blue snitch. “You’re to look for this one. Stealing the other team’s doesn’t count.”

“Gotcha,” Sora said, jumping onto her Cleansweep and shooting up into the air with the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs.

“Right,” Hooch said. She snapped her fingers. The three snitches raced off in different directions and all the seekers jumped, eyes darting around in an attempt to track them. “Give’em ten seconds…” she checked her watch, tapping the surface as harry and the others shifted impatiently on their brooms. “Ready… _GO_!”

The entire stadium was on its feet and straining to look in seven different directions at once as all the seeker hopefuls from the different houses took off in different directions. The Hufflepuffs were particularly interested in which of their three freshman players would catch the yellow ball. With the exception of Smith, none of the three had ever played a Quidditch game before.

But there was also Harry Potter and his upstart first year challenger, who looked as uncoordinated as Hagrid on ice skates and yet none could deny she’d managed to affect game play to a degree most senior players agreed was either purposeful or came from very good instincts.

And then, the pair that garnered more attention as the challenge wore on – the two that seemed to find and dive for their snitch more than any of the others – were Cho Chang, being challenged for her spot for the first time in years, and against the relative unknown that was Hotaru Tomoe.

Cho’s strategy, it seemed at first, was to feign dives every few minutes in an attempt to either lead Hotaru off course, or lead her to ignore Cho when she eventually did dive for the snitch. But Hotaru seemed un interested in participating in the trick. She, like Harry, circled high above the other players, sharp eyes scanning all over the field.

Seven minutes into the Seeking Trial, Kwame Mole-Dagombas and Rose Zeller of Hufflepuff shot off towards center field from the same spot on the pitch, straining to beat eachother: Rose had the newer broom but Kwame appeared much more comfortable straining the limits of his own. It was a Nimbus 2000, Ron had confided to the other watching players. Bought new back before the fourth year had started Hogwarts. He’d had six years to get accustomed to it.

As the two Hufflepuffs trained their brooms straight upwards, Arms outstretched, Hotaru caught sight of a blue glint just below the farthest goal hoops. And Chang, coming out of a dive, hadn’t seen it yet.

She was looking at Hotaru.

“Good Luck,” Harry whispered as she dove, not towards the Snitch but towards the Hoops closer to her. Harry frowned, and then gaped when he realized her plan.

Cho Chang was following her.

Hotaru flew the _Nagaraboshi_ much slower than its top speed, allowing Chang to overtake her, then jerked it back around with barely a brush of her hand, and tucked herself close to the handle, racing off, at twice her original speed, towards where she’d spotten the blue snitch.

Cho realized her ploy within three seconds of her maneuver, but three seconds was quite the lead when your broom was traveling 200 km and hour. The snitch was hovering right in the middle of the central hoop and Hotaru’s fingers were straining outwards. Cho had caught up with the tail of her broom, and, panicked, barreled into her to force her off course.

Hotaru jumped from the broomstick, momentum carrying her right to the goals, and the next second she was grasping for the goal hoop, wrapping her arms and legs around it as she spun down the metal post towards the ground. She raised her hand.  
The little blue snitch was fluttering between her fingers.

Harry heard Haruka woop, and shouted himself hoarse as she slid towards the ground. And he froze, jerking his broom into a dive as he followed the blur of red robes and turquoise hair that had just whipped around Hotaru’s goal posts.

Harry kicked himself as he intercepted Sora Kaioh, flying up infront of her and disrupting her path towards the snitch. Her broom bucked and her with it, clinging to the handle with one hand.

Harry whipped around, the red snitch had vanished.

“Damn.” Sora pouted. Straining to get two hands back on the broom handle. Harry flew away from her, making a lap of the pitch as he scanned the stands, the grass, the sky. Twice he thought he saw it in the stands, only to realize it was a Gryffindor flag blowing in the breeze. Sora made the same mistake three times in the span of as many minutes.

But she also had one eye on Harry and so when he saw the snitch, hovering near the door to the Hufflepuff locker room, He shot off towards it, turning the Firebolt around when the snitch zipped back towards the center of the field. He shot straight up, stretching out ahead of the broom straining his fingers as he caught up to the bright red ball.

He saw another, larger blur of red hurtling down towards him, bright against the grey sky and urged the Firebolt faster, when he was closing in on the snitch and Sora Kaioh was stretching her hand towards it he locked his feet into the golden footholds on either side of the Firebolt and stood up, snatching the snitch out of the air and away from Sora Kaioh’s grasping fingers. He fell backwards, hanging for a few moments from his broom. Sora shot past, closing in on the ground of the pitch as she struggled to get her school broom to pull out of the dive.

Harry hauled himself upright and chased after her with his free hand outstretched. But before he could reach her, Sora wrapped both arms around the old, uncooperative broom and stuck out her feet, flipping it up, towards the sky. Her toes hit the mud and she spun, hitting the ground and rolling several times before she finally dragged the Cleansweep to a halt.

Harry landed next to her and held out his hand. “You alright.”

She took it and jumped up appearing completely unhurt. “Duh!” she glared at the Cleansweep. “I thought this was the best one in the shed.”

“They’re all bad – surprised you got it to work for so long actually.”

Sora stood up a little straighter. “Ah well… you just gotta show it who’s boss.” She might had looked a bit intimidating if she hadn’t been covered head to toe in mud. “Still… not my best show.”

Harry grinned and shook his head. She had gotten five goals today. And taken hits from everything from the stands to the bludgers. “Well, I guess you just need to work extra hard at practice.” He said, walking off towards the small crowd by the locker room.

“Wait. _Really_?” Sora raced after him. “I made it?”

“Sure,” Harry shrugged, smiling when Ron clapped him on the shoulder as he joined the Gryffindor crowd. “You did well enough at Chasing – you’re on the team.”

“I _am_?”

“She _is?”_ Mina groaned.

“ _YES!_ ” Sora Kaioh jumped up, mounting her unruly broom again and soaring up to the teachers box. “ _AKIRA GUESS WHAAAAAA –”_

The first year froze, landing on the wall of the teachers box and staring at the two people she hadn’t noticed earlier.

Sora and Haruka had the same, stunned, wide-eyed faces as they stared at each other. Michiru, on the other hand, had her arms crossed and eyes narrowed. Her face was red.

“So,” she whispered, voice the kind of calm that precipitated a violent storm. “Precisely what is your excuse for freefalling 100 meters towards the ground, _nearly breaking your neck_ , all for the sake of catching a trivial. Golden. Trinket?”

“Ehh…” Sora wrung her hands around the broom handle and shifted from foot to foot atop the wall. “Uh…” she trained wide, blue eyes on Michiru. “It… was… shiny?”

“Before you see anything else shiny,” Setsuna suggested, “Why not step down from there?”

Sora nodded, keeping her eyes on Michiru as she jumped onto the floor of the box and turned towards Michiru and Haruka, who were standing a few paces away.

“Is that all you’ve got to say after surprising us _and_ scaring us to death?” Michiru said, eyebrow twitching. “It. Was. _Shiny.”_

“Hehe…” Sora set the Cleansweep aside. “Nooo…” and she broke into a grin and raced forwards, barreling into Michiru and cinching her arms around her waist. “I missed you.”

Setsuna watched with a small smile as Michiru’s hard-eyed expression was swept away, and she looked at Haruka, Setsuna, and finally at Sora, and smiled. She hesitantly wrapped her arms around the girl’s shoulders.

Behind her, Minerva cleared her throat and remarked in a dead-pan voice: “I’m truly convinced by this sisters claim.” Her voice took on a bemused tone. “I wonder why I ever doubted you.”

~ _SMH_ ~

Setsuna was not entirely surprised to see Megumi Meioh waiting on her sofa for them when the group of senshi arrived, with an eager Ginny in toe, at her chambers on the second floor. Michiru and Haruka were though, despite her telling them about Megumi on the walk over.

 _I know you said… but her eyes look like yours_ , Michiru thought to her as they all settled down in the living room.

Their numbers having increased since last year, Setsuna conjured an additional black couch.

 _Pure coincidence,_ Setsuna told Michiru. She leaned over the back of the couch the outer senshi and Sora settled on and waiting for everyone else to sit.

Ginny, Mina, and Rei sat together on one couch, Mina and Rei greatly distracted by Akira, who’d sat down primly between Chibiusa and Megumi. Usagi happily plopped down in the corner beside Chibiusa and Ami settled into an armchair while Makoto perched on the armrest.

“So,” Makoto said, as all eyes turned to Haruka and Michiru. “What have you two been up to?”

Haruka nodded over Hotaru’s head at Michiru, and leaned forwards on the couch clasping her hands. “We,” she said, “have been tracking Lestrange…”

The Death Eaters attacks, according to Haruka, had decreased significantly in the week following the return to Hogwarts.

“Voldemort’s using the time to rally more factions to his side,” Setsuna said, “Planning larger attacks for more important dates, muggle holidays, Halloween…”

“So,” Haruka continued. “We’re preparing for what those might be. Among other things…”

~ _SMH_ ~

_“So far Voldemort’s followed his playbook from the old war,” Remus Lupin said as the group of five sat around the kitchen table in the basement of Number 12. “Though now he’s recruiting more non-humans into the effort.” He leaned over the table-sized map of the country and tapped a point in the East Midlands with his finger, a white circle appeared over the spot, “W-14” appeared in the middle of it. “This is the latest clan of Werewolves Voldemort has rallied to his side. Ten of them have a formal education.”_

_It was one of seven other circles with “W” in the center, spread across the island. A smaller circle, with a red ring around it and “F.G” in the middle was positioned in the north just outside of Manchester._

_Together with the other white circles bearing the letters for “Dementor,” “Vampire,” “Giant,” and “Ogre” it was clear Voldemort had strongholds outside the large population centers. Otherwise though, Haruka and Michiru could not discern any strategic advantage of their placement.”_

_“They’re lying in wait,” Sirius said. “Probably ready to portkey in like those Vampires in August.”_

_“And meanwhile we still don’t know where any of the Death Eaters locations are,” Michiru said, frowning at the map. It had been a day since Timothy Abbott’s kidnapping. And even though her Mirror could see him (alive though imprisoned) it refused to show her where he was being held._

_“Much as I hate Snivy, he’s not lying about that.” Sirius scowled. “The places Voldemort used in the past were unplottable, ancient properties. Anti Apparition wards, save designated exit and entrance points, Floo connections cut, the works.”_

_“Wouldn’t a Fidelius charm have been much less work?” Rigel Fawcett asked._

_Sirius snorted. “Voldemort, trust anyone with the address to his house?” He glowered at the map. “He’s smarter than us not to rely on it.”_

_Just then, Haruka, Michiru, and Remus straightened up, turning towards the door of the kitchen._

_“Someone popping in?” Sirius asked._

_“Yes,” Michiru took a look at the Aqua mirror and smiled. She looked at Rigel. “I told you he wouldn’t stay away long.”_

_Rigel’s eyes widened and he stood from his chair as heavy footsteps made their way down the basement stairs. He rushed to the door, throwing it open. “Hamish!”_

_Hamish Stebbins gave him his usual delighted grin and wrapped his big left arm around Rigel. The stump of his right, still wrapped in crisp, white bandages, stood out shockingly in the bright, kitchen lamps.”_

_“Sorry I left so long,” Hamish said, he’d been gone from Grimmauld an entire week after the Horcrux mission and Rigel had been a wreck the entire time. “Just…needed to see my cousins.”_

_“You’re sure you’re well enough to be back?” Michiru worried. She could still see the traces of dark magic lingering around his stump._

_“Of course,” he said. “And…I saw The Prophet.” He looked at all of them. “That’s what we’re doing right, finding Tim?”_

_“Well it’s one of several things we’ve got to do,” Sirius said, waving them back over. “Now as I was saying, he’ll be using properties with extensive protections.”_

_“Which gives us our best lead,” Remus said, “Because he’s limited to what properties he will use: Old properties with the kinds of wards that take years and money to be crafted, and, an educated guess is that he’ll favor traditional, pureblood residences.” He waved a hand over the map. “Which is where Bellatrix will be as well.”_

~ _SMH_ ~

_“Is that you then?” Ginny asked. “George said over summer they were going to outfit the unit of the Order who’d lead the offenses against Voldemort.”_

_Setsuna nodded. “They’re, at the moment, the only members unattached to any day job or with family who depend on their income.”_

_“And we keep the lowest profile.” Michiru said. “Mad-Eye Moody is not the sort of man who can blend into a crowd.”_

_“Where as Rigel,” Haruka smirked. “Could get lost in one…”_

_~SMH~_

_“GUYS!” Rigel Fawcett gasped as he apparated into the library._

_“Rige!” Hamish looked up from where he’d been attempting to write with a left-handed quill. He crumbled up the struggling attempts as the other residents of Grimmauld Place rushed into the room._

_“Did you run into trouble?” Michiru worried. All he’d been meant to do was visit the antique book store in Knockturn Alley. He’d gone at 14:00 and it had closed an hour ago._

_“Uh,” Rigel ducked his head to hide his blush and pulled his leather satchel over his head. “I got a bit distracted.”_

_“As any diligent researcher out to do in a bookstore,” Remus said._

_“Yeah – helped me blend in, I think. No one looked at me once,” Rigel pulled three large tomes out of the extended interior of the satchel. “But that’s not important.” He still gasped each time he spoke, as though he’d been running, Haruka thought._

_“I found these…and bought em…but then I stayed in the stacks until after closing.” He plopped down into an armchair. “I saw Lestrange.”_

_“Bellatrix!” Sirius swore._

_“No… no Rabastian,” Rigel said. “He’s gotten out of Azkaban again.”_

_“Do you have anything to guard that place besides those friggin monsters?” Haruka complained._

_“So you say him in the bookstore,” Michiru prompted Rigel._

_“Yes. Yes. He had a bunch of people there.” He reached into the pocket of his robe and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. “They all had these.”_

**__ **

**_ SCRIMGEOUR RUNS AN AUROR STATE _ **

_Hyper-restriction and regulation of our Magical Traditions_

_Theft of our incomes to aid the dregs and freeloaders of society_

_Policies that give our children’s jobs to unqualified candidates “Equality”_

_Political Correctness that makes our free speech a firing offence._

**_ Don’t Let Scrimgeour and his Mudblooded backers Aurorize our Community _ **

**_ KNOW YOUR RIGHTS _ **

**_68 Knockturn Alley – 9 September at 19:00_ **

****

_“What is this bullshit?” Sirius muttered when it was passed to him._

_“How big was the crowd?” Haruka asked Rigel._

_“I-it filled the whole store. My uncle was there,” he said. “Rabastian was saying that Voldemort’s return proved purebloods were truly great, that he was there to give them back their government.”_

_“And steal young purebloods.”  
“They talked about Tim.” Rigel said. “Were saying… he’d been led astray, by muggle agents like Dumbledore.” He slumped down in his chair. “I slipped out…didn’t remember to Apparate till I was back on Diagon.” Rigel sighed. “I don’t understand… The restrictions and Auror presence are all because Voldemort’s a threat.”_

_“And they’re preying on people’s uncertainty,” Remus said. “Asking them to side with the most powerful wizard,”_

_“But my uncle’s not a purist.”_

_“But it probably doesn’t matter to him what happens to muggleborns and others under Voldemort,” Sirius said. “All of them just see violence, some of em lack of business since no one’s going out as much.” He scowled. “They’ll support the problem if it helps em get back to their lives.”_

_It was, they found, a narrative that grew even as the whole Order met on Sunday and expanded their map of Voldemort’s forces, and his likely movements. Setsuna was absent. And Haruka and Michiru were not the only ones to notice._

_“Has..she been alright?” Hamish asked. He hadn’t said a single word during the meeting, had lingered near the back of the kitchen the entire time. He hadn’t worn his wand since he’d arrived, though none of them had called him on it yet._

_“I believe she’s working on finding Tim,” Michiru murmured._

_And barely twelve hours later, she was proven correct. She and Haruka were woken up when they sensed someone entering the house and Michiru checked the Aqua Mirror to see whom it was. They’d woken Hamish and Rigel running down from the third floor and the stomping had seemingly woken Remus and Sirius as well, for they could hear their footsteps charging down the stairs as the four of them dashed towards the kitchen._

_Setsuna was making tea when they ran through the door, a triumphant look upon her face._

_“He’s in Cornwall,” Setsuna told them. “Old manor house belonging to some relatives of the Lestranges.” She gestured to the map. There was a singular, black circle amid many white ones. She sipped her tea. “Unplottable sure, but not visitable.” They saw, on the black circle, a set of coordinates. “That’s just beyond the edge of the property,” she chuckled._

_“You can see Lestrange?” Haruka asked._

_“It was a challenge, but yes, one attempt finally did reveal enough information.” She looked at them. “Though I fear you won’t have a large window.”_

_“We’ve got enough material on pureblood homes to plan an operation,” Sirius said and then he grinned. “It’s time S.W.O.S. made some ‘Sirius’ mischief.”_

_“S.W.O.S.?” Haruka frowned at him._

_“Sailor & Wizarding Operations Squad,” Sirius said cheerily. “Weasleys came up with it.”_

~ _SMH~_

“So you were the ones who ransacked the manor.” Ami realized. “But you didn’t find Timothy?”

Michiru shook her head. “Unfortunately no,” she said. “Though we _did_ find a few other things.”

~ _SMH_ ~

_One week to the day Timothy Abbott had gone missing, the residents of Grimmauld Place gathered in the kitchen just after 3:30 in the morning. Hamish Stebbins was already there when the other five trickled in, having stayed up the night before reading the books Rigel had acquired on obscure magic. And (when his eyes needed a break from the cramped, faded handwriting in the old tomes) he stared ceaselessly at the map._

_“Got an idea?” Haruka asked when she and Michiru came in. Hamish was tracing is one hand over the map’s many white dots._

_He shook his head. “Still random.” He sighed. “Rigel’s better at researching than me.”_

_“Well you captained a Quidditch team for two years,” Michiru countered. “Must mean you had an eye for some details the others were missing.”_

_“Playmaking,” Hamish shrugged. “Dunno if I can play again now.”_

_“Oi!” Sirius said as he walked in ahead of Remus “Now that is just false.” He put his hands on his hips. “Beaters have both hands on their bats the majority of the game and still manage to fly with their knees. If you can’t do it, it’s cause you’ve spent too long relaxing in front of the hoops.”_

_“Keeping is hard.” Hamish glared._

_“Then don’t count yourself out yet just cause you’re a little less handy than before. Ow!” He looked at Remus who’d just thwacked him on the back of the head. “Oh come on, it was funny!”_

_They heard the door from the ground floor slam open and two feet crash down the stairs. Rigel appeared in the doorway with bags under his eyes and his robe on backwards. “I’m awake! I’m ready.”_

_Sirius snickered. “Alright then,” he checked his watch. “Even if she is awake plotting right now, my cousin’s never the most accurate shot before about 9. So we should still have an advantage.” He pulled the old, brass key out of his pocket. “Lets go break out Abbott.”_

_Hamish watched as all of them put a finger on the key – a portkey from Setsuna. “Rigel,” he said._

_Rigel turned around, his mousy brown curls sticking up all over his head._

_“Be careful.”_

_Rigel smiled. “Sure.” And then was gone, as the Portkey flashed and pulled them all away.  
The five members of the Sailor  & Wizarding Operations Squad rushed through space. The wizards among them were startled by the absence of usual jerk behind the navel that accompanied portkeys. They had barely blinked before they were standing in the middle of a dark forest, light of the moon obscured by the thick branches overhead._

_“That was gentler than they usually are,” Remus murmured. “How ever did she make this?”_

_“Given her familiarity with space,” Neptune mused. “I expect she asked politely.” She held her trident up so that she could gaze into the mirror at the base of the three prongs. She slowly turned in a circle until stopping and pointing in one particular direction. “This way.”_

_They followed her through the forest for another ten minutes, at one point taking a detour to avoid several trolls whose grunts they could hear in the trees._

_“Standing guard,” Remus said as he squinted through the woods. “And they’re not dozing on the job… trained security trolls.”_

_“Wonder if they’re on loan or joined up on their own,” Sirius mused._

_They carried on for a few more minutes until the trees fell away, revealing in the slightly lighter pre-dawn sky the black silhouette of the old Manor house. There were no creatures, though that didn’t mean it was undefended. The five Order members disillusioned themselves and approached, with a hand on each other’s shoulders. Remus led the way up to the seven-foot stone wall around the manor and the imposing metal gates bookended by open-mouthed gargoyles_

_“The gargoyles are spelled to shoot fire,” Rigel whispered. “Among other things.”_

_“There should be a way to neutralize them… and open the gate.” Remus walked up to the wall and lifted his wand. With the Mirror, Michiru could see he was scanning the layers of magic that blazed out of the stones._

_Several minutes later, he raised his wand tip to the mortar and traced it downward in a winding path._

_The lock on the gate clicked, and the whole thing swung open without a sound._

_Once at the door, they let their disillusionment fall. Uranus brandished both her swords. She nodded to Sirius. “Lets try that trick.”_

_Sirius took a knife out of his pocket and approached the door, frowning as he pushed it into the lock. It glowed white-hot. Sirius grinned, and twisted the handle aside. The tumblers clicked._

_“Bella, Bella, Bella,” he tutted. “You’ve gotten lazy.” He pushed the door open._

_They were inside for only a minute when they froze in their tracks and pressed up against the wall._

_“Late, late, late, late, late,” Bellatrix high voice carried down the dark hallway along with a string of curses. Uranus could hear her pacing. She nodded to her team and led them further down the hall._

_“It is hardly a problem,” another, deeper voice carried through the darkened halls._

_“Of COURSE it is a problem!” Bellatrix snapped. “And you, you think you’ve earned yourself any trust when you’ve LIED about this!”_

_“I simply procured the information,” the man whispered. “I had no indication it bore this caveat.”_

_“Well now it’s your job to replace the soldiers we’re about to lose!”_

_Remus froze in the middle of their group. His eyes glanced around. “The stairs!” he hissed, whipping his wand out and pointing it at the end of the hall. A large shield charm leapt from Remus wand, spanning their whole group. Twin cracks echoed through the hall as bright, purple and orange jinxes slammed into it, cast from high up on the dark staircase._

_Sirius and Uranus swore. Neptune raised her hand, calling sea water to her palm. She nodded to Remus. He lowered the shield. All of them but Neptune ducked the next round of spells._

_“Deep Submerge!”_

_The giant sphere of salt water raced down the hallway and crashed into the dark stairs. Two pops signaled the Death Eaters apparation into the hallway, jets of purple shot out of their wands._

_Uranus stepped towards them, raising both Space Swords. She deflected the curses off her blades. They hit the walls on either side of the hallway, which corroded away at the impact points as if hit with acid._

_Uranus continued advancing, not firing a single attack or spell as her swords danced through the air, deflecting each curse and jinx with ease. One blue spell hit a death eater and they screamed, curling up on the floor. The other kept firing, backing further and further down the hall until he slipped in the seawater pooling around the ruined stairs. He wobbled forwards and Uranus swooped in, knocking his other foot out from under him with the flat of her blade and helping him the rest of the way to the floor. She flipped him, and he landed on his back. His wand snapped under her boot. A gleeful shriek drew her attention to the left. And a high-pitched giggle followed, coming from somewhere beyond the wall. Something smashed._

_“Come on!” she shouted to the others. She raised both weapons. “Space Swords Blaster!”_

_The twin arcs of wind smashed through the hidden door into a sitting room and Uranus rushed in ahead of Neptune and the others. There was Lestrange, and a terrified looking Timothy Abbott, a boy twice her size, cowering away from the knife blade she had pressed into his neck._

_“Say goodbye,” Bellatrix giggled and then turned, twin stunners sailed right past the spot where she had been, breaking the window across the room._

_“Damnit!” Sirius cursed, stepping further into the room._

_Uranus swung one sword in front of him. Her other swung towards the heavy curtains in the most shadowed corner of the sitting room. “Wait.”_

_Neptune stepped up beside her, having felt the same presence she had. “Show yourself.”_

_The white curtains blew out away from the closed window as if carried by a real breeze. In the dim light of the candles burning around the room they gained definition: their folds billowed out into sleeves and a hood, and into hems that barely brushed the floor. Neptune spotted white slippers peaking out beneath the wizard’s robes and stared at the hood that hung low over his face, only revealing the thin line of his mouth._

_“What do you want?” She demanded._

_A smirk split across his shadowed face, though he otherwise didn’t move._

_A wind rushed through the sitting room, extinguishing all the candles and, in the dim light of the Space Swords and Trident, the wizard disintegrated into ash, swirling across the dark room to the fireplace and disappearing up the chimney._

_“Ignis Fatuus.” Remus whispered and a bright light appeared from the tip of his wand, splitting off into ten will-o-wisps that hovered around the sitting room, illuminating the empty corners, the broken window, and the four covered armchairs._

_Something glinted near the fireplace where Bellatrix had been standing. Uranus pointed it out with one sword and Rigel Fawcett walked forwards and bent to examine it._

_“Glass,” he murmured._

_“There’s some in the corner there too,” Michiru said, nodding towards where the Wizard in White had been hiding._

_Rigel waved his wand. “Reparo.” The glass rushed back together, gleaming as the four rounded faces and circular neck of the small object smoothed back together._

_“A potions vial.” Remus said, walking up to Rigel as he stood. He took the vial and sniffed it. Then frowned. “Whatever it was… it’s nothing I know.”_

~ _SMH_ ~

“A potion vial…” Setsuna murmured.

“It most likely came through via floo powder,” Michiru said. “She must have known we would be coming and was waiting for us to move.”

“That’s it,” Setsuna realized. “She must be using some potion to mask herself from my sight… and she would have waited to take it so that I wouldn’t see where she decided to travel.” Setsuna pinched the bridge of her nose. “And I thought I’d had a breakthrough.”

“Well she clearly has to keep taking it to thwart you,” Haruka said. “Keep trying. She might slip up again.”

“And whomever it was sent it late,” Ami realized. “Why?”

“To mess with us,” Haruka said, glaring towards the table. “We were played.”

“ _I was played,”_ Setsuna sighed.

“What about the two Death Eaters?” Mina asked.

“One was a Mulciber – he had the dark mark,” Michiru said. “The second didn’t – and was likely imperiused, not that we can confirm anything.”

“Do you think whomever was stealing potions supplies from Slughorn is connected to Lestrange?” Ami asked as all of them looked at Mina, who had her eyes closed, nodding.

“It’s one theory – Harry has said Draco’s been acting suspiciously. He’s decent in potions…”

“And if he’s busy with school it’d explain Lestrange’s supply being late… assuming it was an accident,” Michiru murmured.

“I’m not sure of that,” Setsuna said. “Though Draco does have an agenda here,” she told them all.

“I knew it,” Ginny muttered.

“Professor Snape’s been tasked with watching him – for the Death Eaters and us.” She shook her head. “I doubt he would let Draco brew something like that for Lestrange. It may be another potion he’s brewing.” She sighed. “I’ll have a look… in the mean time.” She looked over at Megumi, sitting stiffly between Chibiusa and Akira and gave her an encouraging smile. “I believe several of us still need to know what you told me.”

Megumi nodded, as all the senshi and even her friends turned to look at her. She cleared her throat and, calmly and clearly, relayed the explanation she had given to Setsuna the Saturday before.

~ _SMH_ ~

When their meeting ended, an hour after Quidditch practice, Usagi volunteered to show Chibiusa the kitchens, Mina and Rei (at Akira’s invitation and Makoto’s firm encouragement) followed the two Hufflepuffs down to their common room for a round of Exploding Snap. Makoto wrapped an arm around Ami’s shoulders when she tried to sneak away to study, insisting they would take her by the library first, and she could check out as many heavy books as her heart desired. “But you’re not spending your Saturday with Pince,” Makoto said. “No matter what kind of reading bet you have with Hermione.”

“I do not have a bet with Hermione.” Ami blushed

“Suuure, and you asked her how many books she’d read last week purely out of book-wormy curiosity?” Makoto rolled her eyes.

As the inner senshi left, Setsuna asked the outer senshi to stay behind.

“Wait out here,” she told Sora and Megumi. “We have something to discuss,” and she led Michiru and Haruka back to her study. She looked back and beckoned. “You too Hotaru.”

Hotaru beamed, hopping off the couch and striding quickly over to the office.

They left Sora pouting as the door closed behind them. “No fair,” she said. “They let us sit in on the whole meeting, why’s she being all secretive now?”

“They’ve got their reasons,” Megumi said, and (deciding she’d had enough of sitting on the couch) stood and wandered to the closest of the bookshelves.

“What are they talking about?” Sora asked, leaning over the back of the couch to look at Megumi.

The Ravenclaw sighed. “They’re talking about me.”

Indeed they were. In between adding anything Michiru and Haruka could tell her about their past two weeks fighting the Death Eaters to her lists of names, spells, and targets, Setsuna calmly confirmed what the two older senshi and Hotaru had assumed upon learning who Megumi was.

“There can only be one Guardian of Time,” Setsuna said. “So yes, from what I can gather, I no longer exist at whatever point in the future she originates from.”

“But… but Crystal Tokyo’s peaceful!” Hotaru protested.

Michiru and Haruka were shaking their heads.

“And we’re the ones tasked with keeping it that way,” Setsuna reminded Hotaru.

Michiru explained: “It worked well in the Silver Millennium to have us spend our time at the outermost reaches of the Solar System.” She stared out the window as she spoke. “I’ve always assumed we’re resume that duty eventually.”

“Just as I am going to have to resume mine,” Setsuna said. She leaned over the replica of Grimmauld Place’s map that was spread over her desk, though hers also had lines in glowing yellow, blue, and white woven haphazardly across it. Setsuna tapped her wand against the map and traced a new yellow line across it.

Hotaru didn’t know what they represented, and for once felt no burning curiosity to know. Rather, she felt leaden and cold. “But…” Hotaru protested when Setsuna’d finished adjusting her map. “But we need you.”

Setsuna knelt down to her level. “And I need you, and I would never dream of leaving any of you,” she said. She held Hotaru’s hands in hers. “But fate never has taken dreams into account. It is more concerned with the struggle of good against evil in this universe – a war which we are bound by duty and, even more so, by our own convictions to wage on the front line.” She squeezed Hotaru’s hands. “You know there is always a chance that one or more of us will fall in the effort for peace… it is no idle threat. But that said,” Setsuna smiled, “My younger self does not preside over Crystal Tokyo until at least the 25th century. Assuming I am not otherwise occupied in the outer solar system with Uranus and Neptune at that time, that means you have about 500 years left with me.” She squeezed Hotaru’s hands. “And I won’t let fate decide when I leave until absolutely necessary, okay?”

Hotaru nodded, and sniffed, and then threw herself at Setsuna. And as she did, Haruka moved to wrap her arm tightly around Michiru, both of them watching their family.

Haruka leaned into Michiru and kissed her temple. “Do you think she’s really going to die because Megumi exists?” She whispered.

Michiru squeezed her arm, and turned her face towards Haruka’s. “Is it wrong to say I won’t let her… even if it’s necessary for peace?”

“Course not,” Haruka said, said, pressing their foreheads together. “I’ll be fighting fate right there with you.”

They emerged from Setsuna’s study a short time later, when Hotaru was sure all the evidence that she’d been crying was gone. Even if Mama liked Megumi, she still hadn’t quite warmed up to her, certainly not enough to show that she had been upset.

Both first years ran up to them as soon as Setsuna opened the study door.

“Alright,” Michiru said, checking her watch as Megumi and Sora stopped in front of them. Setsuna scanned the room. Nothing was broken, she noted, though the couch cushions had somehow made their way into a pile on the floor.

“Now, don’t think I’ve forgotten who _you_ are,” Michiru said, training her sharp eyes on Sora. “We have questions.”

“Most of which I’m still trying to think of,” Haruka muttered

“Can we go down to the lake?” Sora asked. “I promised the Squid I’d come back and say hi – pleeeease!”

“Her eyes are like mine…” Haruka murmured, when Sora widened hers into a classically pleading expression. “How’d I miss that before?”

“You should take a boat out so you can actually talk without any students overhearing you,” Setsuna said. “Rubeus will be more than happy to unlock the boathouse.” She led them across her living room to the door of her chambers and along the way thought of something. She smiled down at Sora as she turned the door handle. “Have you met Fang yet?”

“Nooooooo,” Sora said, curiosity instantly peaked by anything named “Fang.”

“Well he’s exactly the kind of creature you’d appreciate,” Setsuna said, ushering them all into the hallway.

“Wait,” Michiru frowned, stopping in the doorway. “Aren’t you coming with us?”

“I can’t,” Setsuna shook her head. “I actually have a meeting.”

“But,”

“It will be over by the time they serve dinner,” Setsuna promised. “And then I’ll happily join you.”

Michiru made a face. “Minerva’s right about you working to hard.”

“I did take all of this morning off,” Setsuna pointed out. “Please – you go,” she said, waving towards the grand stairs “Enjoy the weather while it’s not raining…”

Michiru lingered in the doorway with her arms crossed. She stared at Setsuna with one eyebrow raised. “You’re not just saying that so you can shut yourself away and brood are you?”

“No.” Setsuna assured her. “I promise I’m not. _Really.”_ She sighed. “Severus will be returning from his weekend duties – and this is the only time he has free to speak with me about them.”

Michiru sighed. “Fine. _Next time._ You’re coming with us.”

The group had walked only a few steps however, when Setsuna realized (courtesy of Sora turning to look down the hall) there were only four of them. She followed Sora’s gaze to her left and saw Megumi had slipped off down the hall, making her way towards Ravenclaw Tower. “Hold it,” Setsuna said, waving Megumi back.

The first year froze and walked back to her, looking puzzled. “What is it?”

Setsuna looked between Megumi, and her family. “You’re going with them.”

Megumi paled. “I – I thought they were going to have family time.”

Setsuna cocked her head to the side, smiling. “You are their family – oh don’t look like I’ve unraveled the whole timeline.” Setsuna chuckled at Megumi’s stunned face. “You haven’t done anything to make me think so.” She knelt down so she could look Megumi in the eye. “The way I see it: either you are their family or you’re going to be a part of it when you return to the future. Do you know how I know that?”

Megumi shook her head.

“Because there’s no one I’d trust more to raise a Guardian of Time than them,” Setsuna told her. “So there’s no reason to hide it if that’s always been the case for you. Or, if you’ve spent your whole life in the Time Dimension like me, then you should use this mission of yours to learn what having a family is. They are, unequivocally, the best one.” She pointed Megumi towards the others. Haruka was already motioning for her to join them. “Go have fun.”

Megumi looked like she wanted to grin, but bit her lip to stifle it. She nodded, and then turned, running to the others and falling into step with Michiru (walking quite close to her side). Michiru put her hand on the girl’s shoulders.

Setsuna watched the whole group of them walk down the hallway, waving them towards the stairs every time one of them turned back towards her. She watched until they’d left the corridor. Then, once they’d disappeared around the corner, Setsuna hung her head and retreated behind the door of her rooms.

Severus was meant to meet her in another hour or so. And she spent the hour gathering her thoughts. It was not brooding, she rationalized, if one had a lot to think about.

 _At least they all get to have some time that isn’t spent thinking about this war,_ she rationalized as she looked over her map: There were the borders that represented potentially unplottable properties, sparse and not nearly as many as she assumed there were, for it seemed Voldemort moved every week. She could see his plans to move clearly enough, but never the location, nor whom he might interact with while there. Which she now knew meant Lestrange, or another person she did not know (but who might also be hidden from her sight) was deciding where the Dark Lord should move.

She stared longest at Godrics Hollow, a point of symbolic interest. For he had already decided on his own to make an example of it, and Halloween just two months away. It was already surrounded by dark creatures, lying in wait kilometers away from the Hollow itself. It was maddening, Setsuna decided, not knowing whether they or other dangers would be involved in that attack, and not knowing what information to impart to give her side the best chance of winning.

Severus arrived five minutes before he was meant to and she waved her wand from her study to open the door to her chambers.

“That ridiculous Gryffindor urchin is annoying the giant squid,” he said as he came in. “to the delight of my former students.”

Setsuna looked out the window. “It appears more like they’re playing.”

“Hmm.” Severus said, “I have new information about the teams who will be planning upcoming attacks.” He said. “The Dark Lord is delegating more now that he knows you’re keeping a close watch.”

“Delegating among other things,” she said. “I’ve ascertained how Lestrange is evading me.”

She summoned a paper and pen. “But the names first.”

“Cassidy O’Roark,” Severus said, “Walden Macnair,” “The Warrington twins.”

Setsuna looked up from her writing and frowned. “They’re being put in charge… of planning attacks.”

Severus nodded. “He always gives the newer members tasks they believe can only be done by them. It strengthens their loyalty, strengthens their view of our side as their enemy, and they are creative…” Severus trailed off. “Voldemort has always had a very good eye for others potential usefulness.”

Setsuna nodded, noting Severus guarded posture: his arms crossed as he leaned against the wall. “Is that how it was for you?” she asked. “And how it is for Malfoy.”

Severus snorted. “Malfoy hasn’t got the stomach to fight a war and Voldemort’s well aware of it. No, he’s an example of what happens to followers who are weak.” He drummed his fingers against his arm. “And I didn’t need any special tasks, to be convinced to follow him, I was there out of simple, over confident, youthful foolishness.”

She thought for a moment he might elaborate further but he was only silent a few moments, studying the map on her desk. “And how is Lestrange hiding from your abilities.”

“A potion,” Setsuna said. “They found the vial when they raided the manor, seems she needed it to be delivered – they’re assuming via floo – before she would leave. Which means,” Setsuna said, “That leaving beforehand would have given me a clue, where her next location was.”

“Do you have vial?” Severus asked.

Setsuna pulled it from her pocket and tossed it to him. She leaned against the window as he raised his wand and tapped it against the vial’s glass rim. Light grey smoke filled it, hovering inside for a few moments before suddenly vanishing. Snape curled his lip in irritation.

"No trace of whatever it was," he said. "Are you able to ascertain if any others have used this to hide from you?"  
But Setsuna shook her head. "To me every individual future remains as clear as they've ever been, even Lestrange. It’s only because she began making decisions that deviated from her course that I know anything was amiss. So if others have taken whatever potion this is, I wont know unless I notice they have changed course… Like Draco Malfoy."  
Severus snapped his head towards her. "You believe he has hidden his future from you as well?"  
Setsuna shook her head. "It is only a theory, but I can't discount, especially given what his mission is."  
Severus stared at her. "And do you know... how that mission will fair?"

Setsuna was quiet a moment, gazing out the window at the lake. It seemed her friends had gone elsewhere now, though the Giant Squid continued to flex its tentacles above the surface.  
"There are only two possible futures for Draco’s mission,” Setsuna said. “Either way the cost is a life."  
"But neither life is Draco's," Severus insisted.  
Setsuna nodded, giving him a sympathetic eye. “It’s unfair, the lot you’ve been dealt.”

Severus closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “It is not meant to be fair,” he said. “It is only the fate I deserve.”

Setsuna crossed her arms and frowned at him. “You’re a double agent in a war where there are no favors for you on either side… You’re bound to protect a boy who’s been set an impossible task, either by carrying out said task yourself or by dying for resisting it. And you’ll get no love or thanks for either.”

Severus looked up at her with piercing eyes. “Your abilities are no more fair than my fate. And yet you never complain about them, nor the lonely fate the details of which I have only an inkling of – You shoulder that duty without regret. You take pleasure in doing it well. Is it so hard to believe I might feel the same about my own circumstances.”

Setsuna smiled, shaking her head. “For a long time, I suppose I thought just the same…but there’s better reasons to bear a burden like mine, or like yours.”

She looked towards her wall, where one of her many pictures hung: this one of Hotaru the time she had stolen Haruka’s racing helmet and toddled around the house with the giant thing bobbling on her head, her grin visible through the turned up visor as she looked at Haruka chasing her. She knew Severus was looking at the picture to.

“There has to be more than just a sense of duty keeping you going every day.” She said. “After all, war doesn’t last for ever.”

“Which is the only comforting thing about it,” Severus said. “And I need no grand declarations of peace and love for which to fight.” He walked to the door of her study, black robes billowing behind him, and paused after turning the handle. “I do this for vengeance. I do it to atone for my sins.”

“And what about after its all over?” Setsuna asked him.

He shook his head. “I’m hoping fate will not be cruel enough to leave me behind for that.” And before she could stay another word, he had gone.

Setsuna sighed, and was just pulling out her chair when something bright slipped through the wall of her study, ephemeral whisps of light gathering into the form of two towering dragons.

“You’re meeting is over,” Michiru said. “And the Mirror you’ve nothing else important to do up there. We’re all going to dinner and you’re coming.”

She frowned. “The Great Hall doesn’t start serving for another 45 minutes.”

“She’s forgotten to mention,” the second dragon said, “That we’re going to dinner in Hogsmeade.”

“And if you don’t get down here in five minutes, I will send three hellions up to get you.” The dragon paused and huffed. “Sorry, two hellions and Hotaru.”

“She’s not kidding, they’re very determined.” The other one declared. Then both patronuses evaporated.

Setsuna stared at the spot where they had been hovering and sighed. _I suppose dinner would be nice_ , she thought. Though she was still unsure how she felt about seeing what their family would be in the future, knowing it wasn’t one she would be a part of.

 _Now that,_ she told herself in a voice that reminded her of Michiru’s _is definitely what they would call brooding._

~ _SMH_ ~

Harry noticed Hotaru the second he walked into breakfast on Sunday. She up early like he was, shoulders slumped as she stared into a bowl of un-eaten cereal. He changed his course, ignoring the stares from some of the other students as he slid into the seat beside hers at the Ravenclaw table.

“Hey,” he said. “Your moms already leave?”

She nodded. “They left last night…” She glared at her breakfast. “I don’t like that I’m stuck here while they’re off fighting.”

“I hear you,” he said. “I feel the same about Sirius.”

“Not Remus?”

“Him too,” Harry amended. “Just not as much you know… I mean I know he can take care of himself. It’s Sirius who runs into everything headfirst…like at the Ministry.”

“That won’t happen again,” Hotaru promised him. “I’m sure he’ll be more careful about Lestrange.”

“Hope so,” Harry sighed, and looked up when a rush of owls overhead signaled the arrival of the _Daily Prophet_. They seemed to know he had switched tables, for they dropped the Sunday paper right into his hands.

“Anything?” Hotaru asked.

“Nothing interesting… or,” he scowled at the image of an “accidental fire” in a Diagon alley shop. “Truthful.”

“Maybe the paper editor really is a Death Eater,” Hotaru mused.

“Oi!” They both turned around, there was Dean Thomas strolling in from the doors to the Great Hall.

“There you are, Harry. Here –” he shoved a crumpled piece of parchment at Harry. “I was supposed to give this to you last night, forgot. Sorry. An, Hotaru,” Dean fished around in his other pocket and produced an identical crumpled parchment.

“What is it?” Harry asked.

“Dunno, just looks blank to me. It’s important though. _Dumbledore_ gave it to me.” Dean grinned. “What’s it say?”

Harry smoothed out the parchment with growing excitement. Finally, the lessons Dumbledore had promised him. “Er… he wants to talk in his office tomorrow.” Harry said. “Bet it’s about Quidditch.”

“Really,” Dean thought. “I mean I guess that’d be cool – but I hope its way more exciting. Anyways,” He waved to Seamus as he shuffled in the doors and made a beeline for the coffee. “See you.”

Harry turned to Hotaru. “You got one too.”

“I guess so, Mama Suna did say to look out for something like this.” She read over the note again. “What do you suppose it means ‘ _p.s. I like acid pops?’”_

_~I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good~_


	7. War Stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last Time on Sailor Moon H: Quidditch teams have been picked, classes are underway, and life at Hogwarts remains relatively insulated from the war brewing beyond its walls… Meanwhile the Order is gathering their intelligence, former Muggle Studies student Timothy Abbott is still missing. Voldemort is plotting, and Bellatrix Lestrange is rising as an independent actor… And all the while the second prophecy lingers on the minds of light and dark alike…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: This chapter was SUCH a struggle bus. I don’t wanna get into everything, but this was definitely the hardest one to write yet. That said, it’s all paid off. Cause this chapter is done. The plot is on track. And I have a job!!! So expect there to be a bit of a wait for chapter 8 just cause I have to move and adjust to a new schedule and all. But I’m really excited about this! I think where I’m moving will be much more conducive to writing than my current location has been.
> 
> Disclaimer: See Chapter One

** War Stories **

Harry Potter and Hotaru Tomoe were distracted all day on the third Monday in September and their distraction only increased as the day wore on. Harry wondered if evening would ever arrive, especially after Snape gave him the stink eye for getting out of a detention thanks to what he considered special treatment for “the Chosen One.”

Finally though, the end of the day crept up on the both of them. Hotaru caught his eye at dinner just as the pudding was starting to disappear from the tables. Both of them stood at the same time.

“We’ll wait up for you,” Ami said to Hotaru as she got up.

“Thanks,” Hotaru said, looking at she and Luna, but not Megumi.

Ami saw the first years shoulders sag and frowned at Hotaru, who’d just slung her bag over her shoulder.

“You’ll let us know what happens, right?” Luna said. “Whatever Dumbledore’s got to teach is probably fascinating.”

Hotaru nodded and walked past the end of the table, meeting Harry at the doors of the Great Hall.

“ _Acid Pops,”_ as Harry had predicted, was indeed the password to Dumbledore’s office. The two of them dashed up the moving stairs as soon as the Gargoyle had swung aside.

“Ah, Mr. Potter, Miss. Tomoe, right on time.” Dumbledore smiled at them as they stepped through the office door. He waved them towards the two arm chairs in front of his desk. “Have a seat. Lemon drop?”

“No thanks, Sir.” Harry said, and Hotaru shook her head as well, eyes looking all around the office, lingering on the stone basin on Dumbledore’s desk, one Harry recognized.

“Sir,” Hotaru said, standing on her toes to see the inside of the basin and the strange swirling blue liquid within it. “What is this?”

“An apt question. Harry, could you explain?”

“It’s a Pensieve,” Harry said. “You can view memories in it like,” his eyes were drawn to the cabinet of glowing vials behind Dumbledore’s desk. “Like those. It works by... err, diving into it.”

“Precisely,” Dumbledore said, smiling. “I am happy to see that summer has not dulled your wit as I see so many students claiming it does.”

“Wait,” Hotaru was glaring at the cabinet. “Those were taken from people?”

“No, no.” Dumbledore chuckled. “All freely given – some by myself in fact. And the information they contain – as I’m sure you’ve put together by now – will be what we are studying in these lessons.”

“Information...” Harry frowned. “You won’t be teaching me any new magic, Sir?”

Dumbledore, smiling fondly, gave a quick shake of his head. “Harry, my boy. You have all the magic you need to defeat Voldemort. And the capacity to learn much more on your own than I could ever teach you. Particularly given Miss. Granger’s stunning propensity for uncovering useful research.” He gestured to the Pensieve. “It is not any tricks or dueling strategies that will give you the edge you need against Voldemort, rather it is understanding.”

“Sir?”

“Bear with me, Harry. Tom Riddle has gone to great pains over the years to bury his past. Though I think, as you’ll come to appreciate this year, it still holds great importance to him. Within it, I believe we have the keys to the locations of those things tethering him to Mortality.”

“His soul pieces?” Harry confirmed.

“Horcruxes,” Hotaru added.

“But... er.” Harry rubbed his scar. “Is it really safe to tell me this sir?”

“You’re afraid Voldemort may be listening,” Dumbledore nodded, and looked at Hotaru. “What would you say, Miss. Tomoe. Is Voldemort currently here with us?”

“No,” Hotaru answered immediately and then, a bit taken aback, frowned at Dumbledore. “How did you know I would know that?”

Dumbledore chuckled. “That you may attribute to long years of practice being a very good guesser.”

“So thats why you’re here,” Harry said relieved. “To make sure Voldemort isn’t seeing through my head.”

“Alas, that is a benefit. However,” Dumbledore waved his hand over the Pensieve and a whispy figure began to form above it. “Miss. Tomoe is here for a far more important reason.”

The figure hovering above the Pensieve had become distinct enough to see her features: Luna Lovegood as she had appeared in the second prophecy in the Department of Mysteries.

“ _As the sun sets on the Elder Stewart, the Chosen One becomes a pair. Created for the Dark Ones’ li_...” the lower version of her voice intoned, before cutting out at the end, the image fading.

“That memory I obtained from Miss. Lovegood herself from your battle in June,” Dumbledore told them. “Unfortunate that we do not know the whole thing. That said.” He nodded to Hotaru. “Given that Voldemort selected the first Chosen One by leaving Mr. Potter with his scar, I am inclined to believe that you, Miss. Tomoe may be the second.”

Hotaru glanced at Harry. “But... I don’t have a connection to Voldemort.”

“You do not,” Dumbledore agreed. “But Professor Meioh and I both agree, when dealing with related prophecies one must also look for patterns. Voldemort will look for them too. The survival of a killing curse cast by the Dark Lord, and your identical scars stands out to us, just as it surely does,” his voice grew lower. “To Voldemort. Thus, we feel it is even more important that you learn what Harry learns because this prophecy, I suspect, is not done coming to fruitation.” He waved his hand and the cabinet behind his desk swung open, a single vial floating out. “Now,” he continued, gesturing again to the Pensieve as the image of Luna faded. “I want to start tonight with another memory. And since this is a lesson this may also be a teachable moment. Harry,” he motioned for him to come closer. “If you could assist.”

Harry pulled out his wand, looking sceptically between Dumbledore and the Pensieve.

“I’d like to remove Miss. Lovegood’s memory first,” Dumbledore said. “If you would place the tip of your wand in the Pensieve. Good. Now, think of the memory coming to you. And use the incantation ‘ _Memini.’”_

Harry tried it once, silently, feeling as if this might be some sort of test and sure, when his silent casting didn’t work, that he was failing spectacularly. He mumbled the phrase under his breath instead.

The Pensieve began to glow, all the light gathering at the tip of his wand into a fine, blue string.

“Excellent,” Dumbledore crowed. “And lower it carefully in here,” he said, lifting an empty vial that had been sitting on the desk. “This will be ‘ _Dimitte.’_ ”

“ _Dimitte_.” The memory detatched from Harry’s wand, coiling up neatly within the vial.

“10 points to Gryffindor, I believe are in order,” Dumbledore said. “If you could do the same for this memory.” He set Luna’s vial aside and uncorked the new one with a bright blue-ish-green string inside and the letters “R.O.” written on the glass.

“ _Memini_ ,” Harry whispered, wondering what might happen if he dropped it. He lowered the thin whisp of light into the Pensieve. “ _Dimitte_.”

“Very well done.” Dumbledore beamed as the memory dispersed into the basin, making it glow brightly. Harry grinned at the praise. “Now, if you would both lean in...”

Hotaru approached cautiously as first Harry and then Dumbledore leaned forward and then appeared to fall into the Pensieve. She conjured her glaive just to be sure, before leaning her head into the basin.

She had begun to wonder if there were liquid in the Pensieve at all when she felt herself slip, and tumble downward. The world spun as she tried to right herself, refocusing a moment later with the ground solidly under her feet and the gray, green light of outside surounding her. “Where are we?” She asked, looking to Harry and Dumbledore beside her.

Harry shrugged.

Dumbledore pointed down the road. “We,” he said. “are just about a half mile outside Little Hangleton.” On the road, they saw a man approaching in a decidedly bizarre mismatch of clothes. “And there’s Mr. Odgen now...”

~ _SMH_ ~

While the secrets of Lord Voldemort were becoming clear in Dumbledore’s office, the secrets of homework up in Gryffindor Tower were becoming less so.

Sora, Usagi, and Ron (seated around one of the larger study tables with Hermione, Ginny, and Neville) seemed to be in a contest over who could write a half-foot of Defence Homework in the longest period of time. Ron had scrapped three tries already. Usagi had more ink on her face than her parchment. And Sora Kaioh had been calligraphying the most elaborate “the” in history for the past ten minutes.

“Oh!” Usagi groaned, making a face. “This. Is. Useless.” She looked at Ginny on her left, who was scribbling steadily down her parchment. She was a foot along, only pausing occasionally to flatten the top of her essay each time the parchment rolled up and bopped her on the nose. “How do you _write_ that much?”

Ginny looked up, and then scanned the essay, measuring it with her thumb. She grinned. “Thank Merlin – And I don’t know how I’m doing it,” she told Usagi. “To be honest, I don’t even know what I’ve been writing.”

“Well then,” Hermione said, nose buried in the thick library tome of Wizarding geneologies spread in front of her. “You should definitely check it for errors – especially complete sentences.”

“Or,” Ginny said, setting back to work. “I’ll just... blabber on another half foot and Binns won’t care.” She tapped her quill briefly against her lip and scribbled another line down on the parchment. “Besides – I think I remember most of this actually happening first hand,” she said. “So... I don’t _think_ it’ll be complete nonsense.”

“Remember!” Hermione blustered. “But... but I thought you were working on the Welsh conflict of 987!”

“Yeah.” Ginny grinned, looking up from her essay. “Jadeite was fifteen for the bulk of that,” she said. “That was back when Hogwarts had its own battilion. _I_ was Junior Knight Commander. Which,” she said as she casually put another sentence down, “is like being a prefect, but you had a sword.”

“Bloody Hell,” Ron mumbled. “Mum would flip.”

“What did you fight?” Sora asked, pushing her essay away, close enough to the middle of the table that Hermione could lean around Ron and see it.

“Hang on – you’ve barely got a word done,” Hermione nagged, pushing the essay back at the first year.

“Aw come on Hermione,” Ron said. “Bet sword fighting’s a better defense education than whatever Snape’s got her writing.”

“You’re a prefect,” Hermione hissed at him. “Don’t encourage her.” She tapped the Defense textbook Sora’d been flipping idly through. “Focus.”

Sora pouted, propping her head up on her hand and glaring down at the one word on her parchment. “You’re not even doing homework,” she muttered.

“Mine’s finished,” Hermione retorted.

“The index in the back could help if you’re not sure what you’re looking for,” Neville said to Sora, who glanced at him and then picked up the back cover of the textbook and flipped it over to look at the index. Neville turned back to his Transfiguration practice then, having just about gotten his goblet to turn into a bird. “Ginny,” he asked. “Does being Jadeite help you in any other classes?”

Ginny thought. “I’m quicker in Defence,” she said after writing another line of her essay. If she could just get it through a few more inches Binns wouldn’t care how much sense it made. “And Rei’s been teaching me this trick.” She snapped her fingers. A ball of bright red flames flared to life in her palm.

“Cool...” Sora stared, and then glared at Hermione when she coughed and pointed to the defence textbook. Sora carefully scratched a few more words onto her parchment.

“It is cool.” Ginny grinned, dismissing the flame and returning to her essay. “And, actually, Transfiguration isn’t easier... but _Merlin_ do I appreciate McGonagall a lot more.”

“You do?” Usagi asked.

“Um – yeah,” Ginny said. “She’s sooo much nicer than Jadeite’s teacher – and she gives less homework.”

“That’s impossible,” Ron muttered.

“If you think two feet of parchment for every new spell isn’t more than by all means,” Ginny smirked as Ron’s eyes widened. “Tell me how mcuh harder sixth year gets.”

Ron gaped, looked down at his half finished Defence essay, and then back at Ginny.

“Exactly – and for detentions,” Ginny said, putting the final period on her history essay and leaning back in her chair, crossing her arms behind her head. “He used to have you help with his NEWT class. They’d practice turning you into armchairs, and cats, and such.”

“That’s unethical!” Hermione exclaimed.

“Yeah,” Ginny said. “Lady Hufflepuff put a stop to it once Olin – that’s Kunzite,” she said to Usagi, “ratted him out.” She laughed and closed her eyes. “You know he and Endymion used to skip the class.”

“He did!” Usagi exclaimed, pushing her essay away and sitting up straigher. She couldn’t imagine Mamo-chan skipping _anything_.

“Oh – yeah.” Ginny grinned. “And they never could find him.” She cracked one eye open and looked at Usagi. “You know those wild rose bushes that grow up round the astronomy tower?”

Usagi nodded, hanging on every word.

“Well he grew those – and we had this theory that they were magic and used to hide him from the teachers and the groundskeeper.”

“Did he skip a lot of classes?”

“Only Transfiguration. And only when we started working with live things. He wasn’t the best at it, see, and he was always afraid he’d hurt them.”

“He’s always so gentle,” Usagi smiled. “He was a Hufflepuff right?”

“Yeah,” Ginny said. “Actually – Oh!” She shot up in her chair grinning excitedly.

“She’s remembering something,” Neville and Ron explained.

“Damn right I did – They made the Sorting Hat for him!”

“ _Really?”_ Hermione gaped, not even noticing that Sora’d pushed her essay away again.

“Yeah,” Ginny laughed. “Cause he was a Prince, you know. Dad and the others all wanted him in their house and they wouldn’t stop arguing about it – so around the time Dad and Slytherin had convinced Ravenclaw about dueling for him, Hufflepuff decided they should find a fairer way of deciding. So they came up with the Sorting Hat...”

Her voice grew more and more excited as she fell into the story. “I remember they spent months working on it, holed up together in the library. Slytherin and Ravenclaw designed the sorting algorithyms and enchantments, and Hufflepuff made the rune sequences that could help it think and speak, and it really _was_ Gryffindor’s hat,” Ginny laughed, “because Dad was the one who sewed it.”

“What was the first sorting like?” Hermione asked.

“Oh it was dramatic – I mean me and Cyrus Ravenclaw got sorted real fast so we had no problem, but Saverio Slytherin nearly got put into Ravenclaw,” she said conspiratorially. “I mean it had got the first syllable out, and then the Hat just clammed up for fifteen minutes and finally sent him off to Slytherin House. We always thought Salazar must have confunded it – especially cause Dad was right adamant afterwards about adding protections to it to prevent that sort of thing...

“What about Olin Hufflepuff?” Usagi asked.

“Well he was just Olin then – he was an orphan so he caught Helga’s attention because of how he was sorted. She adopted him at the end of our first year.” Ginny’s voice trailed off, a stunned look crossing her face. She scanned over the whole table. “Neville,” she said, “is that exam paper old?”

“Yeah – just got it back in Charms, why?”

“Can I use it?”

“Sure,” he said, pushing it across the table. Ginny snatched it up and grabbed Usagi’s pen, which could write much faster than her quills and ink. She flipped Neville’s exam over and hunched close to it, drawing carefully.

“What’s she doing?” Sora Kaioh asked, standing on her seat to see.

“I think she’s remembering something else,” Usagi said, leaning closer to Ginny.

Their whole table was silent as Ginny drew for several tense minutes, clicking the pen against her forehead every so often as she concentrated on getting the details as exactly as she could.

Finally, she lifted her hand away from the paper, and pushed it towards the middle of the table. They all leaned over to look.

“A... chalice?” Usagi wondered.

“Yes,” Ginny said, “It was a Hufflepuff heirloom. They used it in the adoption ceremony. It’s a ritual they still use in some families to formally adopt an heir.” She was grinning. “If Helga Hufflepuff put the Kunzite stone in _anything_ it would have been this.”

Usagi reached out for the paper.

“Olin was closer to Endymion than any one else,” Ginny told her. “If anyone could figure out who he is...”

Usagi nodded, staring at the cup, trying to memorize every detail of Ginny’s rushed design: the elegant curves of the handles and stem, the badger paw engraved around the sides, the small gems that decorated the rim, the cup, and the base...

“Usagi,” Neville whispered, and she looked up. He was holding a hankerchief out to her.

She sniffed. Oh. “Thanks.” She smiled, taking the hankerchief and dapping her eyes.  
“Sorry,” Ginny said. “I know its just a cup, but I figured it’d help.”

“It does,” Usagi assured her. “We know what to look for now.” _A cup, and a diadem and..._ She dapped her eyes one more time and looked hopefully at Ginny. “Do you know what Slytherin’s might have been.”

But Ginny shook her head. “No...” She made a face. “Slytherin was always the most secretive about his treasures.

“Figures,” Ron muttered, “He did manage to hide a bloody bassilisk under the school.”

“ _Really?”_ Sora gaped, still standing on her seat. “Where’d he put it? Why’d he hide one... Is it still there?”

“No,” Usagi and Ginny answered together. “We took care of that the first night of school.”

Sora’s eyes widened. “That’s what you fought!” She leaned across the table towards them. “How’d you kill it? How big was it.” She asked, bouncing on her toes and making the chair rattle. “Did you dust it with the scepter?”

“Wait a minute,” Hermione said. She had Sora’s essay in her hand. “This is barely two sentences,” she waved it in front of Sora. “And you’ve been working on it for a half hour.”

Sora pouted, plopping heavily down into her seat. “But... but I don’t know what to write.” She scowled. “It’s Defense Against the Dark Arts,” she said, “About all these different spells and theories, but I don’t get any of them.”

“Well surely you have notes from class,” Hermione pointed out.

Sora made a face at her. “I _would_ if Greasy Face ever explained anything.” She slumped over her essay, leaning her head on her crossed arms. “He just keeps saying how simple it is and _clearly_ if we can’t keep up, we’re just stupid.”

“He was like that in Potions too,” Neville said. “I mean, he’s teaching the NEWT Defense class alright, I guess. I’m doing well enough. I think, I mean,” he glanced around the table suddenly nervous. “He hasn’t tested us yet.”

“You’re doing fine,” Usagi assured him. “You get the spells just as often as we do.”

“An you’re better at the non-verbal casting than me,” Ron said. “I still can’t get it.”

“I suppose Snape really isn’t good at teaching the basics,” Hermione said.

“Here,” Neville said, pulling Sora’s textbook towards him. “What theories is he having you write about.”

Sora sighed. “Hexs, Jinxs, and Curses,” she said, stabbing her essay with her pen. “And how to tell the difference.”

“That used to confuse me a lot,” Neville said. “The way I thought about it...”

Usagi watched them for a few minutes, her face brightening as Sora caught on to Neville’s clearer explanations. And as Hermione turned back to her research about pureblood families and Ron to his own Defence homework, she looked once more at Ginny’s drawing.

 _I wonder if we’ll find this somewhere in the castle too?_ she wondered. _Or if finding Jadeite’s sword here was just lucky._

 _And all we need to know now is Slytherin’s heirloom._ She smiled. _And then I’ll get to see you again._

“Thinking about him?” Ginny asked, leaning back in her chair and putting her arms behind her head once more.

Usagi laughed quietly. “Yeah,” she said, leaning back in her own chair and staring up at the crisscrossing layers of wooden beams that supported the many balconies of Gryffindor’s dormitories. “You got into Gryffindor twice,” she said. “Maybe he’s a Hufflepuff again.”

“Maybe,” Ginny shook her head. “Hard to say – he was a hat stall back then. It took seven whole minutes to sort him.”

“Why?”

“Well – he would have fit well anywhere we always thought. Even Slytherin, it wasn’t _half_ as dark as it is today.” Ginny thought. “He told me once, that he got into Hufflepuff because he _knew_ he could be smart and brave and even cunning if he really tried to be. But... what he was really concerned about, as a Prince I mean, was that he wouldn’t be able to be fair. So, the Hat put him where he could learn it best.” She shrugged. “But it wanted to put him in Gryffindor and Ravenclaw too, and I don’t know if he’d have the same insecurities if he didn’t grow up heir to the whole freaking world...”

Ginny trailed off when she noticed Usagi’s face, the smile she’d had imagining Endymion’s sorting had faded away. Ginny reached out and touched her shoulder. “You know you’re going to find him right,” Ginny said. “I mean, I’m not the best help.”

“You’re amazing,” Usagi protested. “We’d never have figured out Hufflepuff’s item on our own.” She closed her eyes. “I know we’re going to find him.”

“You also said you weren’t going to dwell on it,” Ginny said.

“I did...” Usagi sighed. “And I keep saying I’m going to date too – it _is_ a good idea.” She made a face. “It’s just so hard.”

“What’s hard about it?” Ginny asked. “There’s a Hogsmeade weekend the first week of October, just go with someone,” she looked over her shoulder scanning the common room. “There’s plenty of boys who want to ask you out.”

“Really?” Usagi asked, sitting up and looking around the common room.

Ginny snorted. “Your friends are pretty intimidating if you haven’t noticed.” She pointed to one of the seventh year boys playing chess by the fire. “ _He_ tried to ask you out three times and chickened out when Rei glared at him.” She laughed again. “And he wasn’t the only one.”

Usagi smiled. “Well... I don’t want to hurt his feelings if he wants to have a relationship – I only want to date casually, you know.”

“I do,” Ginny nodded. “Dean’s complicated like that too.” She scanned the Common Room. “Who do you think is cute?”

“Uhhh,” Usagi floundered, giving Ginny an apologetic grin. “I haven’t really looked.”

Ginny sighed. “Oh boy.” She tapped her chin. “Alright we’re going about this the wrong way. I’m not trying to find you an Endymion. I’m trying to find you someone fun and easy going, and someone who doesn’t have to be bribed or dragged into Mme. Puddifoots – oh!” she cupped her hands over her mouth and caused their whole table to look up from their homework as she shouted: “Oi! Colin!”

~ _SMH_ ~

Harry and Hotaru stumbled as they were thrown from the Pensieve and back onto the multi-colored carpet in Dumbledore’s office. Fawkes squawked at them from his Perch as Dumbledore too emerged (much more gracefully) from the Pensieve.

“Now, that will be all for tonight,” Dumbledore told them, noticing that the both of them were now staring at the Resurrection stone – the ring which had been displayed on his desk since the beginning of the term.

“Any parting thoughts,” Dumbledore said, twinkling eyes looking between the two of them.

“Could... the locket be a Horcrux as well sir?” Harry asked.

“Well,” Dumbledore said. “I think that is a very astute deduction – we will learn more about the fate of that locket and Tom Riddle at our next lesson – if you would be so kind, Harry, as to retrieve that memory.

Harry did, moving back to the Pensieve and dipping his wand into the basin.

Hotaru continued to stare at the ring. “It’s tempting to use it, isn’t it Sir?” She asked. “Even with the curse off it.”

Dumbledore nodded, lifting the ring from its setting. “It is.”

“You’ve tried to use it,” Hotaru noted, for she could see the traces of power in the stone. “Recently.”

Dumbledore sighed. Harry looked at him. The twinkle in his eyes notably absent. “I have – a weakness that is negigible on my part. I feel I am falling for the traps of this stone just as the fable tells them.”

“Fable?” Harry asked.

“Ah... you won’t know the story of the Beetle and Bard,” Dumbledore said. “I suppose... yes its not quite curfew. We have time for one more tale.” He gestured to the two armchairs. “Have a seat.”

Trading curious glances, Harry and Hotaru sat down in the seats and watched as Dumbledore reached into the top drawer of his desk and pulled out a thin, leather bound book. It looked as old as he was, the corners of its pages rough, brown, and curling. He opening it to a purple bookmark in the middle. And several shadows grew out of it, into scene not unlike one from a muggle pop-up book.

“ _Three brothers were walking along a lonely winding road at twilight,”_ Dumbledore began, as the three figures began to move, the shadows of trees appearing and disappearing across the surface of the book. “ _And in time, they reached a river too treacherous to pass_...” a wide gap appeared and divided line the figures walked on. All three, Harry and Hotaru saw, raised their wands. “ _Of course they were wizards. And so they simply raised their wands, and made a bridge_.” And the shadow of one appeared to stretch across the river. “ _Before they could cross, however, they found their path blocked by a hooded figure.”_

A dementor, Hotaru thought at first, as the imposing spectre appeared.

“ _It was Death,”_ Dumbledore said. “ _And he felt cheated.”_

“Death isn’t a man.” Hotaru interrupted. “They aren’t anything... and they don’t look like that.”

Dumbledore chuckled. “My mistake – and yes the author has embellished their representation with a bit of imagination. May I continue?”

And at Hotaru’s nod, he did.

_“I digress, they felt cheated. Cheated because travelers would normally drown in the river... But Death was cunning. He pretended to congratulate the three brothers on their magic. And said that each had earned a prize for being clever enough to evade him..._

_“Now the Oldest brother asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence. So Death fashioned him one from an Elder Tree that stood nearby. The second brother decided he wished to humiliate Death even further. And so he asked for the power to recall loved ones from the grave. So, Death plucked a stone from the river, and offered it to him. Finally, Death turned to the third brother. A humble man, he asked for something that would allow him to go forth from that place without being followed by Death... And so Death reluctantly handed over his own Cloak of Invisibility.”_

_“Afterwards, the first brother traveled to a distant village. Where, with the Elder Wand in hand, he killed a wizard with whom he had once quarreled. Drunk with the power the Elder Wand had given him, he bragged of his invincibility. But that night, another wizard stole the Elder Wand and slit the brother’s throat for good measure._

_“And so Death took the first brother for their own._

_“The second brother journied to his home where he took the Resurrection Stone and turned it thrice in hand. To his delight, the girl he’d once hoped to marry before her untimely death appeared before him. Yet, soon, she turned sad and cold for she no longer belonged in the mortal world. Driven mad with hopeless longing, the second brother killed himself so as to join her... And so Death took the second brother._

_“As for the third brother, Death searched for many years but was never able to find him. Only when he had attained a great age did the youngest brother shed The Cloak of Invisibility, and give it to his son. He then greeted Death as an old friend, and went with them gladly, departing this life as equals...”_

The two remaining shadows above the storybook faded and Dumbledore closed it once more, looking at Harry who now regarded the stone with mild interest, and at Hotaru, who was frowning at him.

“Death doesn’t get angry at people,” she said at last. “They don’t... go hunting like that, they can’t be bothered.”

“And yet, there is well documented evidence that at least two of the Deathly Hallows, as they’re called, exist,” Dumbledore said, resting his chin on the lace fingers of his hands, gazing at Hotaru. “How might you revise such a tale, Miss. Tomoe?”

Hotaru looked at the ring, feeling somehow that she did know, especially of a river of star dust that acted as the natural barrier between the realms, and of many souls who had attempted throughout history to cross it.

And yet, she did not know, not this specific tale, nor any of the others, not as they had truly happened. It felt almost like she were beyond the Death Veil again, down in the Department of Mysteries: aware that the spirit who minded that realm beyond was there, and that she was not truly there with them. “I don’t know,” she finally said to Dumbledore. “I don’t think I’m meant to.”

“Hmm,” Dumbledore, Harry noticed, watched her as she stared at the Ressurection Stone, a thoughtful frown on his wizened face. “Alas,” he said, “the dangers of the stone are all too real, and I find myself an unfit candidate to keep it. I have been attempting to discern an appropriate means of protecting it, or perhaps a person who is wiser in these matters than me.” He paused, waiting until Hotaru had looked up at him, and gestured her to the ring. “Perhaps, as you’ve demonstrated a unique connection to Death, you might be a fitting keeper of the Hallow.”

Hotaru looked at the Headmaster and considered. Then nodded and rose from the chair, crossing the distance to Dumbledore’s desk and plucking the ring out of its holder.

Harry stared when the stone flashed with a white light, and then the ring shrank, fitting easily onto Hotaru’s finger.

“It knows me,” she murmured, blinking several times and then looking at the both of them.

“I know I don’t have to tell you,” Dumbledore said, “but your friends aside, best not to share with your peers the nature of that stone.”

Hotaru nodded. “They won’t know.”

And Dumbledore looked down at his gold watch. “Alas, it is quarter to – you’d best hurry back to your dorms. I would hate for you to get detention for sitting through an old man’s stories.”

~ _SMH_ ~

Hotaru and Harry made it to their respective towers just five minutes ahead of curfew, though there were three other students who would be out well past it.

Not that it mattered to the trio of them. Rei and Mina’d snuck out successfully nearly every week of last year. And Akira hardly cared that it’d be past her curfew when they asked her to go with them. They wouldn’t get detention.

After all, Filch never checked the skies.

“And then today,” Akira was saying “Sora had to save me in Herbology.” She turned Makoto’s broom and rolled it, flying upside down over the forest.

“Careful,”Mina fretted diving to fly underneath her and holding up her hands just in case.

Akira laughed, letting go of the broom and hanging down to high five Mina’s hands. “I’m fine.”

Rei giggled. “How did she save you in Herbology.”

“I lit the roots on fire,” Akira said, “They really should give you something thats not dragon hide gloves. They absorb heat too well.”

“Finally someone agrees with me,” Rei muttered.

“Yeah, so Sora had to put out my plant before Sprout noticed.”

“If only you’d had Ami to do that for you you might have passed your OWL,” Mina teased Rei, shrieking when she sent a puff of sparks at her. “So Herbology’s not your favorite class?”

“Nope,” Akira said, “That’s astronomy. I like constellations a lot” She looked up towards the rare, clear sky. “That’s my favorite,” she said, flying up a little higher and stretching her finger towards the constellation just peaking above the highlands like she might actually touch the stars if she strained far enough.

Mina squinted. “Aaaand which one is that?”

“Canis Major,” Rei replied, smirking at her. “Can’t you see it’s close to Orion?”

“Ahh... Which one is that?”

“The Hunter,” Akira said. “He’s just come out for winter – he’s got his bow there,” she said tracing her finger in an arc. “If you look at the belt and look that way you’ll see it.”

Rei giggled when Mina crossed her eyes and frowned. “Riiight.”

“I always imagine he’s hunting the Hydra,” Akira said, pointing across the sky at another long string of stars. “Canis is his big hunting dog – he’s as big as a wolf, and he catches nearly as many things as Orion does, and he’s training Canis Minor too.”

“And that ones...” Mina prompted, squinting at the sky.

“The two there,” Rei said, taking Mina’s left hand away from her broom and pointing it up.

Mina frowned. “The dog is a line.”

“Nooo,” Akira laughed. “You just have to imagine. Picture it:” She gestured with her hands. “He’s a star dog. He’s got a great big nebula for his heart and twin white dwarf stars for his eyes and his paws are sturdy clusters of asteroids... all held together by his stardust fur.” She nodded with her eyes closed. “He runs and runs and runs chasing comets to eat and space ships to play with and nips Ursa Minor’s heels to get her to play, until Canis Major,” she pointed back to her favorite. “Who’s got whole galaxies for eyes and Solar systems for paws, leans down and growls at Minor that they’ve got to do their job too.”

“What job do star dogs have,” Rei asked, eyes on Akira’s dramatic gestures and bright grin.

“They hunt black holes,” Akira said. “They chase ‘em, and each of them takes one side, and they shred them in their crystal teeth,” she said, voice growing higher and higher with every word until at the last she bounced on Makoto’s borrowed Firebolt and shot several feet down, hair falling haphazardly across her face.

Mina and Rei laughed while she pushed it out of her face, directing their brooms to fly along the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

“So Astronomy is good,” Mina said, “Herbology’s bad. How are you at Charms?”

Akira shrugged. “Okay I guess... I can make the feather float without exploding it most times.” She dug her wand out of her pocket, Mina looked closer at it. It looked like a small ember was even now burning on the tip. “But I’ve got Cherry and Dragon Heartstring. They _said_ it was going to be stubborn, they didn’t say it’d just do whatever it wanted.

“Man do I understand _that_.” Mina said, and then brightened, looking between Akira and Rei. “Wait you know what’d be fun – you should both join Dueling Club.” She said, whipping out her own wand and slashing it around like a sword. “That helped me a lot! We’re having our first meeting on Thursday – and _I’m_ throwing my name in for President. So you should come watch.”

“Because you really need me to brag about you when you can do it yourself,” Rei rolled her eyes. “What time is it at?”

“Iiiits atttttt: 7:15.”

“Oh, then I can’t go,” Rei said, tucking her hair back.

“Whyyyy!?”

“There’s a Slug Club meeting.”

“Reeeeeeiiii!”

“Well its not like I think it’ll be interesting,” Rei said. “But he does share a lot of useful information. And Ami and Makoto aren’t going to this one. So I don’t want Hotaru to be stuck there. She hates him.”

“That means I can’t go either.” Akira pouted. “I told Megumi I’d go.”

“ _You_ got invited to the Slug Club too!” Mina made a face. “Just because I refuse to brew one potion.”

“I don’t think I’m invited cause of potions,” Akira said. “Unless he’s impressed by how often my cauldron melts.”

“I melt _plenty_ of cauldrons,” Mina was muttering. “I am a Cauldron Melting Master.”

Akira giggled at the look on Mina’s face. “I think it’ll be fun this time – he said there’d be a Quidditch star there!” Akira said. “I’m hoping it’s...” but her voice trailed off, and she pulled her broom to a halt at the same time Rei did, both training their eyes on the same section of the Forbidden Forest.

A streak of green light shot up into the sky, curving into a large skull with gaping eye sockets. It’s florescent green jaw fell open and a giant snake slithered out, curving up over its face, through one of its eyes, and then hovering in the air over the skull’s head, glaring down towards the Earth.

“That’s farther out than the edge of the forest,” Rei said.

“Come on!” Mina said, whipping her wand out as she flew ahead. “Akira you go –”

“Follow you,” Akira said, easily keeping up with them on Makoto’s _Firebolt_. “You let Chibiusa follow you when you go investigating things.”

“Starting to regret that,” Rei muttered as they streaked over the dark canopy of trees.

The green form of the Dark Mark dominated the sky, coloring the hills around it the same eerie shade. And then below it, Mina saw through the trees, flickering and growing whites, oranges and reds. The colors danced below the canopy level of the trees, licking up over the tops.

 _Fire_.” Mina thought.

When they pulled up overhead, she had to shoot up higher, the heat from the flames singing her robes, and the hot smoke getting in her eyes and nose.

Great plumes of smoke, in fact, billowed up around a clearing in the trees, lit by the green light of the Dark Mark overhead.

“This is a muggle village!” Rei shouted up to her. She could see the road winding through the trees and several old cars melting down below.

And people, huddled in the center of the village surrounded by the strong ring of flames.

Only ten, Mina counted. There were fifteen houses. Or what had been houses.

Below her she saw the great white crow patronus soar out of Rei’s wand, flying off in the direction of the castle. To Setsuna or Mcgonagall or Dumbledore.

“It’s too much fire for me to put out!” Rei called up to her. “I could move it.”

 _Move it where?_ Mina shook her head. They were surrounded by trees. Possibly by other villages. _Better to protect the people left in the houses_

“Hang on!” she said. “ _Venus Eternal Make-up!”_

She held the _Firebolt_ in one gloved hand, leaning away from it as she cracked the Love Whip in the air, channeling magic into the blackthorn handle.

 _“The key to a duel where you are outmatched is creativity_ ,” Flitwick’s voice echoed back to her as she quickly formed a plan. “ _Spells that have no purpose on their own – when combined – can often yield extraordinary results...”_

“ _Homenem Revelio!”_ Venus said, sending the charm racing down the links of the chain as she whipped it in a circle, aiming to hit of the burning structures below. “ _Igne Probabio! Ondunkula!_ ”

The first spell struck the buildings, illuminating the bodies inside a brighter orange than the flames. The second and third spell, raced off the end of the whip as it cracked, splitting off and hitting each body within the fire. Almost immediately, some started to move, racing towards the doors.

“Fireproofed and Bubbleheaded,” Venus grinned, detransforming as Rei and Akira hovered up to her. She twirled her blackthorn wand and glared up at the dark mark as they flew higher. “Now if only I knew how to get rid of...” her voice trailed off as they got above the tree line once more, and she looked our across the hills. “Shit.”

Six Dark Marks had been cast along the path of the muggle road, and as they watched a seventh formed off in the distance.

Venus used the whip to protect the civilians in the next five villages, helped along by Order members apparating in to douse the flames.

By the time they reached the last two villages though, the fast burning fires had already razed the buildings to the ground. Only piles of ash remained within their burnt out stone foundations.

Venus cursed upon reaching the seventh one, cracking the Love Whip up at the spectral Dark Mark. It sailed right through it.

She glared at it a few more moments and sighed, hovering down until she was level with Rei and Akira. Rei reached out and put her hand on Mina’s back as she detransformed. “Lets go,” Rei said. “The Order can handle things from here.”

Mina nodded, turning her broom northwards. “Sorry this turned into damage control mode, Akira.” She sighed. “I don’t _get_ it. Those weren’t cities. They weren’t important buildings... and what the hell are they thinking attacking so close to Hogwarts.”

“They want us to notice,” Akira said, glancing behind her and pointing to each of the Dark Marks just as she had the stars in the constellations. Mina followed her hand, all the way back to the north where the high dark towers of Hogwarts, their windows appearing like stars, stood out prominently in the night time.

From the castle, Mina realized, they could see all of these. They were spread out enough, in fact, that the Castle might even appear surrounded.

“We’re going to catch who did this,” Rei said. “Don’t worry.”

Mina sighed. “Does that mean you dreamed about this?” she asked, not surprised when Rei nodded. She turned to Akira. “Did you?”

Akira looked up at the stars. “There weren’t fires in my dreams,” Akira whispered. “Other things... but not fires.”

Rei’s hand found Mina’s and squeezed it tightly as they directed their brooms towards Hogwarts’ North Tower, closest to the Hufflepuff dorm.

“But... that just means we get to go flying again tomorrow, right?” Akira asked. She even smiled.

Despite themselves, Mina and Rei smiled back.

~ _SMH_ ~

 _Voldemort..._ Setsuna thought Monday evening as all around her the sands of time swirled. Still in a location she could not disclose, either because it was very well warded or because Voldemort himself did not know where it was. _He’s definitely employing Lestrange to move him, this has persisted through three moves..._

He was, currently, passing off assignments to four Death Eaters. Setsuna scowled. Their masks prevented her from seeing up front exactly who they were. It would mean going through each and every Death Eater she knew by name to determine what was being planned in terms of attacks.

 _Lets see if his force is increasing at all,_ she thought, directing her search to _Azkaban..._

More breakouts were imminent. No more mass exoduses, not since the Ministry had had all their dementors replaced by security trolls and reluctant wizards. No, instead it would be a steady trickle of prisoners being smuggled out by brooms, boats, and several with an imperiused guard to escort them.

 _“I advised Scrimgeour to employ an Auror force there,”_ Dumbledore had explained. “ _Alas, they are overtaxed as it is. And he insists there’s no budget anywhere for screening and training more._ ”

She wondered briefly if Haruka and Michiru couldn’t use their powers to trap Azkaban behind a hurricane or something and filed it away under things to suggest to them soon.

She sighed “ _Bellatrix Lestrange...”_ Setsuna murmured.

She looked every day, using different means and often until the attempts had left her with a headache. She could see Lestrange kneeling at Voldemort’s right hand, torturing the disloyal with glee, her actions only restrained by Voldemort’s command.

Except she was decidedly _not_ at his side. _Not_ lying in wait training up newer Death Eaters. _Not_ watching the year pass with delight and only occasional interference.  
Yet try as she might, Setsuna could see only what she would have done in a timeline that appeared increasingly divergent from their own.

 _Is there truly a potion that can hide from me,_ Setsuna thought. _However was such a thing invented?_

Severus had already professed to having no idea. To his knowledge, the only use of potions in matters of time were select divining potions. Most to be used only in the creation of scrying glasses and crystal balls – and that, he said, included the dark arts.

 _“I’ll see if Durmstrang has any books I haven’t read that might point you in the right direction,”_ Severus had offered. But Minerva had already gone that route and come up with nothing.

“ _I even consulted Sybil_ ,” Minerva’d confessed to her after one of the staff’s night-caps. “ _She implied you’re a charlatan; I feel I was deluded to expect more than that._ ”

After hours of staring at what boiled down to nothing, Setsuna directed her attention to a Horcrux, the locket. The one Dumbledore was even now, hunting down as he talked through his thoughts in a lesson with Harry and Hotaru.

70 years of memories was quite a lot to look through, particularly for locations Voldemort might have hidden his Horcrux. She doubted it was in the Riddle mansion. And Dumbledore had already ruled out the orphanage.

 _Where did you feel powerful?_ she thought. _What places formed the foundations of who you became?_

His first jobs after leaving Hogwarts. Summer jobs that got him out of the orphanage. One brief stint delivering medicines from a chemist and pouring magic into the pill bottles to see what would happen...

Holidays away from London, where his minders could not mind all the children so closely. Holidays where he could use all the magic he’d begun honing consciously in a cramped boys dormitory in a room full of boys – who were there because of poverty, and disease, and many older boys because of the war – whose tears for their families he could not understand and had no sympathy for.

Holidays to the coastline...

There were plenty of rocky shores along the British coastline, plenty of places already hidden from muggle eyes by centuries of wizarding secrecy.

Plenty of unplottable locations that appeared as blurred facades to her sight. She scowled.

 _I found Lestrange’s mansion just fine, I’ll find whatever hidey-hole you stuffed this in_... Whether she could find it before Dumbledore was something she was a little less certain about.

She did manage to narrow down her search a bit, before directing her attention to the last matter that needed her attention.

_Timothy Abbott..._

She always tried. But he still appeared as a sleeping, shimmering mirage within the sands: as out of reach as Lestrange.

 _Fred Weasley_...

Was going about business as usual brightening more people’s moods than he angered with stunts and displays designed to lure customers into the shop. Was keeping a public enough profile to continue giving Molly gray hair and was, she smiled, going to be embarking on a research project with his father about whether the lead vests muggles used to protect from x-rays had any application protecting wizards from magic. It seemed Hermione had piqued Mr. Weasley’s interest.

_George Weasley..._

Was finally getting a handle on the management details involved in running a business even if his organization system was still one she couldn’t puzzle out. Was arguing quite a bit with his mother about what she assumed was still Fred’s relationship choices. Was also (some way she didn’t want to analyze) setting up various little booby traps along Knockturn Alley designed to draw attention to anyone on it in a number of... creative ways.

 _Robert Macmillan_...

Was still travelling. Setsuna sighed in relief. One less student embroiled in a war.

 _Prudence Burke, Roger Davies,_ and _Kenneth Towler_ all turned up equally secure results. No one was getting cursed as far as she could see, or caught in a _Reducto_. The most trouble they looked to be having were increasingly heated arguments with their families over what should be done about Voldemort and the Ministry and muggleborns...

 _Conflict does have a way of dragging prejudice out into the light_ , Setsuna thought, directing her attention to those students more closely caught in the conflict.

 _Rigel Fawcett..._ seemed to be benefitting from lessons with his former defense professor and a former auror and convict. His confidence on the field was steadily improving from when he’d joined the Order that summer. She hated that that was also due, in part, to how many conflicts he was throwing himself into the middle of.

 _He’s brilliant and more than competent,_ Setsuna reminded herself. _He and Hamish both._

And in regard to Hamish, she raised her eyebrows. Haruka had not mentioned _this_ method of helping him adjust to his lack of an arm. Her mood improved significantly while she watched the steady progress he’d be making.

She came last to the student who’s future she’d been invested in even as early as last October. _Morgana Avery._

 _Oh._ Setsuna tightened her hands on the Garnet rod as she glared into the near future swirling in the fog. _Well we can’t have that now can we..._

~ _SMH_ ~

“That’s seventeen sickles, five knuts,” Morgana Avery said as she rang up the order. The two nine-year-olds grinned and one hefted a Hippogryff-Bank, tickling its feathers. The thing gave a realistic squawk and coughed a mess of bronze coins onto the counter. She smiled at them as they hastened to count out the correct number of coins rather than make her do it.

“Boys! I said be quick!” their mother lectured, hovering close with the boys father and someone who may have been a hired bodyguard. He was wearing one of their own Shield Cloaks and hats pulled low over his eyes.

“It’s fine,” Morgana said, using a counting charm to speed up the work the children were doing. Seventeen sickles worth of knuts plus five spare stacked together and flew into the register. “All set.”

“Cool!” the boys exclaimed, grabbing their new toy wands and pointing them at each other. Confetti spewed out the ends.

“Right – come on,” their mother said, and the family turned towards the door.

Morgana had a second to wonder why their guard was in the back rather than the front of the group when she felt a shock shoot up from her toes to her skull. Her legs and arms locked together. She fell forwards, her hands grabbing the counter to break her fall.

And at the front of the store, the twin boys and their father fell face first onto the shop floor.

“Don’t shout,” the bodyguard said. “If you do she’ll kill the youngest one first.”

 _Imperioed_ , Morgana determined. Though that was not what had set her heartbeat racing in her chest.

She knew the bodyguard’s voice. From the portrait in the dining room that her mother’d relied on to help instruct her since the man himself was locked away in Azkaban.

Her father was beaming at her when he took off his large shield hat. His face was sallower than his portrait, with grey hair combed over the balding top of his head.

“Morgie,” he said, walking up to the counter and leaning over it. The modified sneak-o-scope on her left began to spin wildly, silver edges bluring as green smoke filled its glass middle. “Look at’cha.”

She glared at him, fingers twitching. Her arms were stuck at her sides. Then glanced at the new Dark Mark Detector they’d put over the front door last month. It hadn’t gone off at all.

“It’s alright to speak,” he said. “Just quietly – don’t want those jailers of yours hearing.”

“Let me go,” Morgana spat.

“Oh I want to – but you’re not exactly in your right mind right now, even if you don’t realize it. But I am here to let you go, Morgie. To help you get back to yourself.”

She stared at him, trying to move her fingers, inching them along the rim of the counter. The button was on her right, closer to the register. The flares would go off in the office and the workroom...

“Ah, ah!” the silent spell he’d cast before shocked her again, her hands and fingers snapped to her sides. “Oh Morgie,” he shook his head. “It’s worse than your mother said.”

Her mother: who thought she’d been dosed with love potion. Who had clearly told her father. Who had broken out of Azkaban.

“I’m sorry I didn’t know about this when they liberated me in January,” he said with genuine regret on his face. He waved his wand. Her feet rose off the floor. “I only learned what was happening to you after that little incident at the Ministry had me back in that cell.”

She glanced up as she was levitated. The office door was shut. The family had been up on the second floor ten minutes ago. _He’d have had plenty of time to cast Silencio or to lock it shut..._

Her wand was in its holster in her sleeve. Not that she could draw it. If he unparalyzed her, she might have time to stun him. Then the family would die. She might have time to stun his hostage. Then he would kill Fred...

Her feet hit the floor in front of the counter, and Avery Sr. canceled his spell. Morgana stared at him as she regained her footing. Her arms now freed as well.

"Oh don’t look so startled, Morgie,” he chuckled, wand still leveled at her face. “I don’t want to force you – the blasted potions's forced you to do enough already. But I know it isn’t the easiest thing to resist. So we'll make this simple." He gestured to the family behind him. "Come with me, and these nice, pureblood children get to live. Don’t, and their mother kills them.” She glared at him even while he continued to gaze at her fondly. “You don't want that, Morgie. Even if you think you love Fred, you don’t want that. I know that." he held out his hand. "Come. And if you prove to me you really love him. I’ll let you come back. If its just the love potion, surely that isn’t unreasonable.”

Morgana bit her lip. He would decidedly not let her come back no matter if she were truly love-potioned or not. She stared at the family and the two boys. Something aqua and blue slithered across the floor between the shelves.

"This... hardly seems like a free choice," Morgana said to stall for time.

"Well neither is addling you with love potion..." he said, stepping closer to the check out counter. She stepped back. Behind him, she could see one of the fake wands hovering in the air. And then it flashed with faint blue sparks. When they faded, the wand in the air was longer, darker, had a different handle. The fake wand was in the imperiused woman's hand.

A switching spell.

"Morgie. Be reasonable,” her father continued. “I won’t harm them. And I wont harm that blood tra-that boyfriend of yours. But he would harm me. And I just want to know that you're happy – I haven’t seen you in too long."

She swallowed, staring him in the eyes. "I wont go."

Avery Sr.'s pleading gaze hardened. And before she could duck, his wand flashed bright white. Her stance slackened. Her sharp gaze glazed over.

"I'm sorry, Morgie," he said. "I did try to let you make the right choice. Now," he directed his imperiused daughter. "Be a good girl, and go do away with those blood traitors upstairs. The door will unlock for you. Leave something bloody for their mother to find."

She looked up towards the office, taking a jerky step towards the stairs. "Wait,” he said. “There is the small matter of your disobedience – I always follow through with my word," he looked over his shoulder. "Mrs. Selwyn, kill the youngest.”

Morgana raised her wandless left hand in a stop gesture, and her father laughed, her hand was shaking. "You should have chosen differently." He turned around to see the deed done.

A case of Nosebleed Nougats hit him at high speed right between his eyes. He hunched over.

"Stupefy!" a woman shouted. The red spell hissed as it contacted his shield cloak and dispersed on contact.

"There’s nothing worse than parents who don’t know boundaries," a sharp voice declared, a lithe figure stepped out from between the shelves.

"Especially the ones who use friggin mind control," a deeper voice growled. Avery Sr. saw a taller figure emerge from the door to the basement. They wore the colorful robes of the mercenaries that had apprehended him at the Ministry in June. He let off a silent _Avada Kedavra_ at the closest one. Another Nosebleed Nougat soared into it, the box exploded in his face.

The warrior with the turquoise hair leveled a trident at him and suddenly great ropes of water were rising from the shop floor, lashing him and twining around him.

" _MORGANA_ ," he shouted. "Kill them!"

He'd at least expected a _stupefy_ from his (clearly-slower-than-he'd-been-told) child.

Instead, he got silence.

" _KILL THEM_ ," he snapped. Another Nosebleed Nougat hit him in the face, the corner gouged into his eye. He whipped around as the taller mercenary spun her swords. Cold, whipping wind began to freeze the tentacles of water entrapping him. He glared at his daughter.

Morgana’s wand was on the ground, of all the insolent places for it to be. Her left hand was still outstretched and shaking before her. Her glazed stare turned towards him. Her shaking hand beckoned.

Another box hit him in the back of the head. This last knocking him out cold

And both his imperiused victims came back to themselves.

The woman at the front of the shop screamed, dropping to her knees beside the stunned bodies of her sons and husband as she stammered out a _renneverate._

And Morgana gasped, stumbling back against the counter and grabbing her head.

Neptune nodded to Uranus, who went to check the family in the front of the shop and call the Aurors to remove Avery Sr. Neptune went to Morgana.

She was fumbling to brace her left hand against the counter. Her other hand was pinching the bridge of her nose.

Neptune stooped to grab her wand from the floor. "Why'd you drop it?"

Morgana grabbed her wand from Neptune’s hand. “It was the easiest way to not curse you,” she said. “The best way to resist is to… comply as much as you can, and find excuses to be terrible at what they want you to do.” She glared at her father. “I could fully intend to go ahead and kill you, but if I happen to be a butter fingers that’s not something a curse can fix. And it was hard enough to do the levitation charms on the boxes wandless… I couldn’t have done anything more elaborate.” She smirked. “At least, not without being able to concentrate.”

She looked paler, Neptune noticed. And Morgana’s knees and hands were still shaking.

“Even that’s not easy to do, I take it?”

Morgana jerked her head to the side. “Not when they know what they’re doing… but its easier than resisting a Legilimens, even a shody one.”

She’d spoken of Legilimens before, Neptune realized. Mind readers.

“Could you teach me?” she asked. “That’s not the sort of magic I’ve had any luck learning from books.”

Morgana Avery nodded, smiling when Uranus broke her father’s nose on her way over to them.

“I think,” she said. “We need to unlock the offi-“

A loud explosion shook the loft as the office door exploded, fireworks spewing out amid the wood splinters, spirals of rainbow dragons, corkscrews, and rude hand gestures rocketed off towards the ceiling as two lanky young men scrambled through the broken down door.

“Morgana!” Fred shouted, skidding across the loft and then racing down the banister of the spiral stairs. He knocked over the display of _U No Poo_ as he ran to her.

“Something was wrong with the door!” he rushed to say as his brother trailed him down the stairs.

“It’s alright,” Morgana assured him, checking that her father was still knocked out cold and then dragging Fred to her by the collar of his robes. She kissed him until she could pretend her knees were trembling for a far nicer reason than resisting the imperius. “We handled it.”

“Well we know Dark Mark Detector marc 2. needs work then,” George threw in, frowning up at the unobtrusive black box balanced over the door.

“Maybe tar and feather is too much for it,” Fred suggested. “Maybe just tar.”

Morgana chuckled. And looked at Neptune. “I don’t know if I’ll be any good at teaching,” she told her. “It’s not something I read from a book.”

“Well I have, and those explanations are no help,” Neptune said, de-transforming. “Clearly they were more interested in the theory than the practice.”

Morgana shook her head, trying to banish the feeling that it was stuffed full of cotton. “Next Thursday,” she told Michiru. “We’re closing the shop to work on more important things. I’ll teach you.” She glanced at her father and amended. “Well, provided no ones come back to un-love potion me again.”

~ _SMH_ ~

At nearly 1:00 am on the last Sunday in September, Haruka opened the door to Grimmauld Place and (with her jacket held up over Michiru’s hair) ushered her partner in out of the downpour that had met them upon arriving back in London.

It had been little more than a drizzle in Scotland, albet a constant one. It certainly hadn’t required more than an umbrella to navigate. Haruka sighed and turned to Michiru, helping her out of her coat before hanging it and her own up on the coat rack. “Sure we can’t go back?” Haruka asked. “I mean... I wouldn’t mind staying at Hogwarts.”

Michiru smirked and stepped towards her, pulling Haruka down by the unbuttoned collar of her shirt. “That depends,” Michiru said. “On whether you’ve convinced Setsuna to share her bed.” She laughed as a blush filled Haruka’s face. “Because I am not spending another year in a dormitory.” She kissed her, trailing her fingers down Haruka’s arm and clasping her hand.

It had been a good day. Between themselves, Sirius, Remus, and Rigel they’d stopped the three predicted muggle baitings nearly before the perpetrators had apparated to their chosen targets. They weren’t sure how long they’d remain in Ministry custody, though Tonks was confident she could keep them off the streets for a week at least.

 _“We can only keep ‘em for questioning in the DMLE that long,”_ she’d said. _“Unless we can prove we need to keep ‘em after that, the Ministry will push them to trial and Azkaban, which is as secure as an Alohomora these days.”_ Then she’d winked. _“That said, Bones runs a tight ship. And she’ll accept pretty much anything me and Kingsley can think of to hold’em these days.”_

With that taken care of, there’d been nothing stopping them from apparating up to Hogsmeade. Michiru’d even agreed to flying with Haruka the rest of the way to Hogwarts.

They’d delighted Hotaru by surprising her at Quidditch practice, and with her along, they’d managed to convince Setsuna to dispense with her work and spend the day with them. They’d thought she’d come up with more excuses. But Hotaru had learned her puppy-dog-eyes from Haruka and her persuasion tactics from Michiru; Setsuna’s arguments were no match for that combination.

They had long years of practice setting their troubles aside to appreciate the odd, normal day. And so for the duration of Saturday, they did not speak of Dark Marks over burnt out homes, the ever climbing list of casualties, the still missing Timothy Abbott, or the growing sympathies for Voldemorts ideals among the scared and frustrated wizarding populus.

Instead they had talked about Hotaru’s first weeks on the Quidditch team, of the latest first year she had scared by summoning the Silence Glaive, and of how she was excelling in all of her classes. Once Chibiusa, Sora, and Megumi (whom they’d dragged along with them) came to find them, they’d raced broomsticks, skipped rocks across the lake, and for better or worse Haruka had even gotten away with teaching the first years a paint-ball charm she’d learned from the twins.

When the rain had become too steady and the ground too muddy to enjoy the outside, they’d gone to Setsuna’s quarters, and fallen back on a tradition they’d gotten to practice scarcely little over summer.

Michiru’d conjured her violin, they’d transfigured Setsuna’s coffee table into a surprisingly well-tuned piano for Haruka, and (to the accompaniment of the rain tapping against the windows) had played the songs that had been the cornerstone of every evening together in Tokyo.

Ravenclaw’s ghost had startled Sora midway through by rising up through the floor to dance along. Hotaru’d proved she’d lost none of her skill in a year without lessons. And Megumi had surprised them by asking to play, given how reticent she seemed to give up any details about herself. She’d taken up the violin eagerly, grinning as none of them had ever seen her do. And Michiru’s eyebrows had raised in surprise when she’d played a score composed of several fairly complicated bars.

It was the only time they’d ever seen Sora sit still, save the way she tapped her hand against her knee in perfect time to the rhythm. And it was the only time since August that Haruka and Michiru had seen Setsuna truly relax.

The others had joined them for dinner (Makoto’s many friends from the kitchens more than happy to bring their meal to Setsuna’s rooms). Mina’d held her tongue and refrained from asking a single question about the war or their battles or Setsuna’s ongoing frustration with Lestrange.

Of course, the effort of not talking about enemies and wars also meant that eventually, one ran out of lighter topics of conversation. Such was the case by the time their friends and family among the students had retired to bed, and Haruka and Michiru had joined Setsuna on her patrol. They’d kept pace with her through the candle-lit corridors of the fifth and sixth floors, prefering the companionable silence to the eventual return of topics like Bellatrix, like Voldemort, like their still kidnapped former classmate...

They’d wandered up to the clocktower, watching the rain fall across the dark grounds from under the shelter of its roof. They’d stood close to Setsuna’s sides, watching as she leaned over the wall, opened her hands to the rain, and let the water splash across her palms, her face, pensive and unreadable, lit by the scant light that shone up from the lower floors’ windows.

The chime of the bell at midnight had broken the spell of silence. As it had echoed into the night sky, the three of them had sighed, and (in low tones that did not disturb the soothing pitter-patter of the rain) had spoken once more of things more important than Quidditch, and music, and classes.

Michiru’d broke the silence first. “Dumbledore said after the last meeting you offered to help him find the locations of the Horcruxes,” she’d told Setsuna. “But... aren’t you already workng on predicting the movements of the Death Eaters... and of Bellatrix.”

“I know he plays this more defensively than we would,” Haruka’d said. “But he isn’t incompetent.”

Setsuna’d nodded, continuing to watch the rain as it fell across her hands. “He certainly isn’t. That’s entirely the problem.”

“He has a very good plan, in terms of taking Voldemort down,” Setsuna’d confided. “One which I do not approve of, but I can’t deny it plays to Voldemort’s weaknesses. It would put his defeat in the hands of those that are underestimated and creative, and ensures fewer casualties than large offensives might garner.

“But...” Setsuna’d paused. “It’s a plan in which he dies. He and Mr. Potter would go retrieve a Horcrux and – whether he is drowned, or poisoned, or cursed, there’s no question that he dies – and that can’t be allowed.”

“This is more meddling than I’ve ever seen you do,” Michiru’d murmured, as she and Haruka’d reached out for Setsuna. Their hands had rested on her’s arms and gotten her to look up at them at last. “Is the Headmaster truly so important?”

Setsuna’d nodded. “Originally it wouldn’t have mattered overly much. His plan would have already been in motion. Voldemort wouldn’t have made it through another year. But now...”

“Lestrange.” Haruka’d scowled.

“And that wizard,” Michiru’d added.

“I don’t know what their plans are,” Setsuna’d confided. “Lestrange was not nearly so independent in the original sequence of events. This new wizard did not factor in at all. They’re more than likely the reason there’s now a second prophecy, and _that_ concerns me.” She’d clenched her fists. “It indicates that the future this world was leaning towards has been altered. Chibiusa’s coming back only confirms that. I’m worried it means Crystal Tokyo is seeing enough ripples of change to get involved here.”

“Do you still think the second prophecy means Hotaru?” Haruka’d asked even more quietly. They’d discussed the possibility quite a bit over summer.

“Well I’m concerned that Bellatrix and Voldemort think so,” Setsuna’d said. “But...”

“But back to Dumbledore,” Michiru’d prompted.

“Right... if there are now or could soon be two Chosen Ones...” Setsuna’s gaze had fallen back to her hands. “That would be precipitated by the ammount of darkness and danger doubling as well. If that’s so, then Dumbledore cannot die: he is the strongest leader the Light side has. Harry Potter may be an excellent symbol to them, a source of hope, but he’s hardly a leader, not yet.”

She’d paused, staring out towards the forest, veiled by a curtain of rain. It was impossible even for Michiru to tell what else she might have been thinking about.

“Dumbledore makes mistakes,” she’d admitted. “He capitulates easily to the poetic fancies of fate, and even now he continues to overlook the possibility of any of the Death Eaters breaking rank and taking independent action... but he does win. And more importantly he inspires hope in what I’m sure you’ve noticed is a very beleguered fighting force.”

They’d nodded. They were all too aware of the Order’s meager numbers, and even more meager supply of people with the time and skill to wage a war.

“He needs to keep doing all that if the forces of darkness are increasing,” Setsuna’d finished.

“So you’re hoping to do his work finding the Horcruxes for him,” Haruka’d guessed. “Keep him from going out and getting killed by them.”

“Precisely,” Setsuna’d nodded. “The ring was one of Voldemort’s first... the protections around the others could be far more elaborate.”

“Well they weren’t protected with us in mind,” Michiru reminded her. “We’ll get them.”

“And we’ll help you find them,” Haruka said. “You’re doing too much work as it is. Tell me you’re not still drinking pepper-up potion?”

Setsuna’d shrugged. “The war and my students both need my full attention. I can’t simply chose one over the other to get more rest when an energy boost is more efficiently obtained.” She’d wrinkled her nose. “I suppose I could give my half of the Divination students back to Trelawney, but I don’t _want_ to do that.”

They’d laughed at that, had allowed her to change the subject to complaints about Trelawney, and about her fourth years, and then how she now had to go around Poppy Pomfrey to Snape to get pepper-up potion because Minerva’d told the nurse to cut her off.

 _“If I have to make you take care of yourself, I’m not above doing so,”_ Minerva’d said.

“I existed without needing anything so mortal as sleep for eons of time before this,” Setsuna’d grumbled. “If I chose to substitute caffiene and magic for some of it, I certainly...” she’d yawned. And they’d both traded smirks. “...can.”

It had been creeping up on 1:00 then, and was well past time all of them should have retired. Setsuna’d used the Time Doors to drop them off in London. They could only hope she’d actually rest when they bid her goodnight.

“She looked better,” Haruka said to Michiru as they walked across the ground floor of Grimmauld on their way to the basement kitchen. Tea was more than in order. Tea and another look at their map of Voldemort’s forces. Somewhere in the mess of them were his hideaways.

“I’m not sure that comforts me,” Michiru said. “It may just mean that she’s adjusted to her workload, not that she’s any less stressed.”

“Fair.” Haruka sighed. She held the basement door open for Michiru. “We’ll just have to find more days to spend at Hogwarts,” Haruka said as they went down the stairs. “You know... I didn’t think I’d miss them all so much.”

Michiru stopped on the foot of the stairs and dragged Haruka close, kissing her and lacing their fingers together. “I know what you mean,” she whispered. They were certainly a long way from the two high schoolers who had prefered to keep as much distance from their fellow senshi as possible. Michiru wondered, as she gazed at Haruka, how it was they had gotten so un-used to their duty to protect from afar, especially given the distance between Hogwarts and London was not even comparable to the distance Tritan and Miranda castles had been from The Moon Kingdom...

A sound from the kitchen startled them and they broke apart. Who else would be awake so late?

“Rigel?” Michiru asked as they entered the room, causing the half-asleep young man to jerk his head up from where he’d been reading through a textbook.

“You’re back,” he said and promptly yawned.

“You’re usually asleep by now,” Haruka observed, noting the half-read book, the empty tea-cup, and (she frowned) the scratch on Rigel’s face. “Something happen?”

“No, no,” Rigel assured them. “I mean... there was a skirmish at the Magizoo earlier, but we stopped ‘em from stealing anything in the exhibits.” He touched the scratch. “Couple Hippogryffs that didn’t want to go back in the enclosure, but no death eaters got away.” He rubbed his eyes and pushed his messy, mousy curls out of his face. “I was just waiting up for Hamish,” he whispered. “He’s practicing – I mean he’s been practicing all day...”

“And you’re not with him?” Michiru wondered.

Rigel’s shoulders slumped, his face fell. “He told me to go. Said he wanted to be alone.”

Michiru traded a look with Haruka. That seemed entirely unlike the Hufflepuff who’d been incapable of even spending the night in a separate dorm from Rigel.

“He’s still not doing as well as he wants,” Rigel explained. “I’ve been trying to help him – looking up how he might replace his arm and stuff, but he doesn’t like anything I’ve found so far... I mean nothing’s perfect.” He looked at the scribbles in the margins of his book. “But...”

“Where’s he practicing?” Haruka asked.

“Library,” Rigel said.

“Kay,” she nodded. “Stay put – I’ll be back.”

“But –”

But Haruka moved to fast to hear Rigel’s protests, and Michiru stopped him with a hand on his shoulder when he tried to follow her.

“Stay.” Michiru waved her wand and got the kettle boiling again. “She’ll get him.”

Haruka heard Hamish as soon as she pushed open the Library door, muttering out the clipped, frustrated syllables of charms she’d seen in Hotaru’s first and second year books.

She liked Hamish Stebbins. He could talk Quidditch and Football with equal competency and enthusiasm. He wrote Makoto letters with a dicta-quill every few days in the finest of Hufflepuff’s Bigs and Littles tradition. And he reminded her of a puppy the way he cheerfully and persistently stuck to Rigel Fawcett’s side.

They were alike, she’d decided awhile ago (though she’d deny forever that the way she acted around Michiru could in any way remind anyone of a puppy). And she had been the one who’d literally disarmed him. So far that hadn’t seemed to affect him as much as she’d have expected it to. But perhaps the limitations of working without his dominant arm were finally becoming too much for Hamish. And if that were the case, Haruka decided as she made her way silently through the stacks, then she felt it was her job to ensure he didn’t fall into a funk about it.

He was practicing _Wingardium Leviosa_ when she reached the back of the library. His voice was coarse and lacking any of its typical warmth as he practiced.

“ _Wingardium Leviosa_ ,” he snapped. His left hand moving in a jerky, slashing motion.

His face fell as he stared at the unmoving quill lying on the study table.

“Heard you’ve been doing this all day,” Haruka said when he sighed.

The tall boy jumped. He spun around. Even with a stump for a right shoulder he still pulled off quite an imposing figure. “What are you doing here?”

“Seeing if you’ve improved since last time I saw you,” Haruka said. “You’re still struggling.”

“Well I’m not ambidextrous am I!” Hamish snapped. “I mean wasn’t –” he groaned and glared at her. “It’s not something I can learn out of a book!”

“That what you told Rigel when you yelled at him?” she asked calmly.

Hamish deflated instantly, falling back and sitting on the study table.

“I just couldn’t listen to him try to tell me I did it better every time when I’m _not_.” He moved his arm as though he would’ve clasped his hands together and braced his elbows on his knees. As it was, his one elbow slipped, and he hastely straightened up, curling his hand into a fist around his wand and thumping it against his leg. Angry red sparks shot up into the air. “I’m struggling with exercises they give seven-year-olds in their first charm school – and I was better at them then.”

He even held his wand differently in his left hand, Haruka noted, an idea flickering in her head.

“Then stop practicing,” she said before she’d fully thought it through.

Hamish head jerked up. “Wh – but – but the war! The Order!” he protested.

“Stop practicing,” Haruka said again. “And... train your arm on something else – something new that you can’t judge yourself on how well you used to do.”

“N-no!” Hamish said. “It’d just take me longer to fight – I need to be good at spells again.”

“That’s not the only way you can help the Order,” Haruka said.

“It’s the best one,” Hamish argued with her. “I’m useless sitting aroun here making reports with the dicta-quill. Rigel and Remus can do them three times as fast. And I haven’t been any help with the map.” He stood again, pacing and brandishing his wand with a sluggishness that belied fatigue. “I’ve got to do something!”

“So...” Haruka though, wracking her brain. “Try something different _and_ useful.”

“Like what?” Hamish sighed.

“Like...” Her eyes wandered around the room, seeking anything that might prompt an idea.

She settled on the shiniest of the decorations on the library walls. _That one’s a two handed grip_ , she thought _still_... “Like something that doesn’t need you to use magic...” Something someone could teach him, that he wouldn’t need to learn from a book.

Hamish turned and looked where she was, frowning “What?”

“I’ve an idea,” Haruka said before she could second guess herself.

“What?”

“Go apologize to Rigel,” Haruka said, turning to leave the library. “And I’ll tell you in the morning.”

Morning ended up being closer to noon, given that Hamish had tossed and turned and paced until about five – filled with questions and stubborn hope about what Haruka could possibly be planning.

The delay was fine. It had taken that long for Haruka and Sirius to find two suitable items for practice in the Black family’s possession. They couldn’t exactly use any of the fifteen cursed ones, and Sirius had snorted when she’d initially suggested transfiguration.

“James did that once – trust me you don’t want it shifting back into a broom or a snake mid-swing.”

When Hamish did go in search of Haruka, Michiru directed him up to the drawing room, which looked very different when he walked in the open door. The furniture had all been pushed up against the walls, two of which – windows and all – had been transfigured into mirrors.

At the end of the room, Haruka was waiting, arms crossed as she leaned against one of the tables.

“So...” Hamish said, looking around the cleared room as he hesitantly walked in. “What are we doing?”

Haruka chuckled and stepped away from the table she was leaning on, sweeping her hand over the two fifteenth century swords she’d scavenged out of a cache of large items Kreacher had stuffed in the attic.

She smirked as Hamish’s eyes widened as he stared at them, and picked a sword up in each hand. They were heavier than her Space Swords, wider at the base too. But the technique was the same. And if Jadeite or herself were any indication, Hamish might even be able to cast spells if fitted with a capable blade.

“Seriously?!” Hamish gaped as she approached him, spinning both swords.

“Yes – unless you’ve thought of a better idea,” Haruka said. “But considering I’ve dueled Voldemort just fine with two of these, I figure they’re decently useful.”

Hamish was so busy staring at the weapons that she had to give the right one another spun right in front of him before he realized she was holding it out to him.

“It’s... light!” he said, hefting it carefully.

“Good start then.” Haruka grinned, adjusting the rolled up sleeves of her shirt. “Now, pay attention.”

She’d spent the entire night and morning thinking over every lesson she could remember from her first life in the Moon Kingdom. She hoped he could follow along because she was not at all confident she could explain everything in detail.

She needn’t have worried. The lesson came to her easier than she’d thought. For the next few hours she walked him through a basic set of steps, thrusts, and blocks.

He was only marginally less clumsy than she’d expect of Usagi or Sora, but Hamish didn’t realize it, and that was exactly what she’d hoped for. By the time they went downstairs for a late lunch, he was beaming: greeting Rigel with an enthusiastic kiss and talking like he could win a championship.

“I think he’ll pick it up faster than he thinks,” Haruka told Michiru later while they updated the map of Voldemort’s allies.

“Hmmm...” Michiru smiled. “So when do Rigel and I get to watch?”

Haruka shrugged. “When Hamish is a bit more competent, I guess. Why,” she grinned, combing back her hair. “You want to see what a good teacher I am?”

“Theres that...” Michiru smirked. “Or just...” Haruka shivered as Michiru’s eyes looked her over through long lashes. “Appreciating your form.”

Haruka’s face turned bright red. “F...uh-he-he.”

“And of course,” Michiru said, walking around the kitchen table and leaning into Haruka, her fingers skimming down the buttons of her shirt. “Rigel and I could finally settle a long-running debate.”

“De... bate?”

“Well I’ve always wanted to know whose lover has the... superior technique.” She whispered in Haruka’s ear, her hand moving past the last button of her shirt. “With their sword, I mean.”

Haruka whimpered.

~SMH~

_Little Flamingo is doing as well as we expect per task 1. No progress w/ task 2. I am managing Task 3. Parcel on the Ides ~S.P._

“I hope that note is your supplier,” The White-cloaked wizard whispered in her ear as he materialized out of ash behind Bellatrix Lestrange.

She smirked and tapped her wand against the note that had come through the floo, incinrating it. She crushed the still-smoldering embers in her hand.

“They need to be brewing the new batch now,” The Wizard in White continued “While –”

“While the power of the moon is waning, yes. You’ve said.” Bellatrix rolled her eyes.

“Well it was late last month,” he hissed. “Can’t take chances.”

“We were under the impression it was a permanent effect!” Bellatrix said, stalking him as he circled her.

“Well it was an experiment,” the Wizard in White gave a shrug of his shoulders. “It inconveniences me more than it inconveniences you.”

“How,” Bellatrix said, narrowing her eyes.

“Well it means I’ve a lot of work to do in a limited time frame – I admire you Bella, I do,” he said. “But I cannot rely on your supplier to follow through indefinetly.”

Bellatrix smirked. “He is a fool,” she agreed. “But he gets things done. He won’t be late.”

She darted forwards, grabbing him by the front of his robes. “I still say My Lord should be made aware of this potion as well.”

“By all means, Bella,” the wizard chuckled. “Tell him. I’m sure he’ll reward you handsomely like another one of his useless serfs.” He smirked at her. “Is that what you are – a serf?”

She shot a cutting curse at him which he dodged. “I am the Dark Lord’s most trusted...”

“Of course – because he knows you’re better than him and he can’t have that.” He smirked at her. “How many times has he put your power on a leash? Reigned you in for the sake of his theatrics with this Dumbledore and Potter...”

He hovered in front of her, cocking his hooded head to the side. “Given the chance you know you’re _far_ more creative. He takes the things he fears and runs from them. Or kills them like a coward. Even his magic is _lazy._ His Horcruxes are such rudimentary, useless things. But _you_.” Bellatrix face split into a crooked grin as he continued. “Your relationship with the Dark Arts is a master’s. And your fears, you don’t run from them. You make them part of you.”

“I do.”

“And I can see that,” the wizard raised his hands and shrugged. “Why can’t Tom Riddle?”

Bellatrix bristled. “He shares his plans with me – you have not even told me your reasons for joining our cause. What is it you’re doing that this Time Lady can’t know about?”

The Wizard in White smirked and raised his hands to his hood, lifting it away from his face. “Don’t tell the Dark Lord about my potion – he’d insist on brewing far more of it, don’t kid yourself. And that would be noticable.” His whiteless eyes glittered. “Keep it between us, and I shall show you exactly why I need the Moon’s eyes looking elsewhere.”

~ _SMH_ ~

Thursday, the third of October Chibiusa checked the time on her gold and red communicator as she sat on the banister on the second floor landing. She was kicking her heels and thinking of going ahead without the lazy Bunhead when she heard the frantic pounding of feet coming down the grand stairs.

“You’re late,” Chibiusa told Usagi as she skidded to a stop on the landing, panting.

“Sorry!” Usagi gasped as she tried to catch her breath. Chibiusa hopped off the banister. “I was... napping.”

“But Gryffindor Tower’s on the other side of the castle.” Chibiusa raised an eyebrow.

“Uh....”

“And your lipstick’s smudged.” Chibiusa grinned as Usagi’s face turned red. “So unless you were kissing your pillow...”

“Fine!” Usagi said. “I was on a lunch date.” She blushed.

“ _Really.”_ Chibiusa’s eyes widened. “Do you think he’s Mamo-chan?”

“Colin, er...” Usagi ducked her head and laughed nervously. “Noooo... but!” She raised her fist and nodded as if reassuring herself of her convictions. “He is sweet and it has been a _long time_.”

“Eeewwww!” Chibiusa wrinkled her nose gigggled. “Come on. She’s only free another forty-five minutes.”

“Right.” Usagi nodded, wiping her hand across her face to get all the lipstick and double checking that Ginny’s drawing from weeks ago was still in her pocket.

She hadn’t gotten the chance to see much of Setsuna, despite all of her own free time. And the few times she had seen her, she hadn’t remembered the drawing of Hufflepuff’s cup. Not to mention it seemed near impossible to catch Setsuna at a free moment.

But it seemed Chibiusa still had more sway over Setsuna than she did, because the Time Guardian had found the time to meet them for tea today.

They found her Muggle Studies classroom unlocked, the desk and the blackboard already prepared for her next lesson. Chibiusa ran to her office door and bounced as she knocked. “Puu!”

But Chibiusa didn’t get an answer. She pouted.

“Maybe she’s coming from the Time Doors,” Usagi said. “Come on – we can go in and surprise her.”

Grinning, Chibiusa pushed the door open, eager to see if Setsuna’s office was as elaborately decorated as the walls of her classroom.

But she stopped short just inside the door and Usagi stumbled into her. “Puu?”

Setsuna was asleep it seemed, head pillowed on her arms as she slouched over the top of her desk.

“Oops,” Chibiusa whispered. “Did I get the time wrong?”

“No,” Usagi assured her, stepping around Chibiusa and into the office. “No, I’m sure you’re right.” She looked around as Chibiusa eased the door shut. There was already a set of four tea cups on the desk, next to a small silver and glass top rolling around in the corner of the desk and filled with green smoke, and a kettle of water steaming next to that.

It didn’t look as though Setsuna had planned to fall asleep either – not if the parchment stuck to her cheek was any indication.

“That can’t be comfortable,” Usagi murmured as she and Chibiusa walked around the sides of the desk. Usagi put her hand down on the annoying little spinning top as she passed and it stopped rolling, the green smoke in it fading. She bent down beside Setsuna’s chair and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Setsuna?”

The Time Guardian stirred and then gasped, straightening up and blinking furiously as she looked around her. Her head ached. “Wh-” she blushed as she noticed both the Queen and Chibiusa frowning at her and then saw the tea on the desk. She raised a hand to her face and peeled the parchment off her cheek. “Uh...” She hadn’t even conjured them chairs yet! “My Queen?”

Usagi’s frown deepened. “You know you don’t have to call me that, Setsuna.”

 _Of course_ , Setsuna ducked her head, face still burning with embarrassment, and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Sorry,” she whispered. “I must have fallen asleep.”

“Don’t be sorry!” Chibiusa exclaimed, hugging her arm. “You work really hard – you should sleep more.”

“Sleep is my favorite part of the day,” Usagi said, reaching over and pouring some of the tea from the kettle into a cup. She smiled and presented it to Setsuna. “Here – unless you want to get back to your nap,” she hastened to add.

Setsuna laughed weakly, taking the tea in both hands and breathing in the herbal scent of it. It did wonders for the persistent headache. “No, I’m fine.” She smiled down at Chibiusa. “I did, after all promise.” She found her wand lying on her right side and went to grab it. “There’s not nearly enough chairs.”

“Don’t worry!” Chibiusa assured her. “We can just sit here.” And she hopped up onto the desk, reaching for the cup of tea Usagi was holding out to her.

“Yeah,” Usagi smiled, adding a hearty helping of sugar to her own. “You... wouldn’t happen to have biscuits though... would yah?”

Setsuna smiled at her, reaching over to the left side of her desk and pulling open the bottom drawer, revealing a large tin of chocolate biscuits that made Usagi’s mouth water. “I could never forget biscuits,” she said and took her first sip of her own tea.

“Are you okay, Puu?” Chibiusa asked as she sipped.

Setsuna set the stemming cup down and directed a reassuring smile at Chibiusa. “I’m fine, Small Lady. I merely have a lot to do right now. I’m sorry – this is the first time I’ve had a nap at my desk in a while.”

“Couches are much better for naps,” Usagi said, munching on a biscuit. “Still,” she said, mouth still full, “if there’s anything we can do to help you.”

Setsuna chuckled. “No, I promise.” She sipped her tea. “And I believe you have something to give me, is that correct?”

Usagi blinked and swallowed the biscuit. “Oh yeah,” she reached into her pocket, pulling out the well folded drawing Ginny had drawn her weeks ago. “Ginny says this is what the object with the Kunzite stone looks like,” she said. “I don’t know how much a picture can do but...”

Setsuna took it, and felt immediately guilty as she took the parchment and spread it out across the desk. She hadn’t spared much more than a moment’s time for the Shittenou or Endymion in _weeks_. She sighed. “My apologies,” she told Usagi. “I haven’t been as focused on this as I should be.”

Usagi frowned and shook her head. “You don’t need to apologize,” she said. And she leaned forwards, placing her hand over Setsuna’s where it touched the drawing. “You do so much for us already.”

“Yeah!” Chibiusa echoed her. “You can’t do everything yourself.”

Setsuna looked between the two of them, a small smile tugging at her lips. “You’re right of course.” She sighed, looking closer at the picture Usagi had brought her. “This is quite detailed.” It seemed Miss. Weasley had even gone so far as to write the colors of each part of the cup onto her sketch. She had even guessed the dimensions. “In fact... this might be exactly what I need.”

~SMH~

Mina grinned as _Glacius_ collided with Katie Bell’s stunner in the middle of the dueling platform, freezing the spell into splinters of ice which were hit a moment later by _Depulso._ It spat the shards back across the court. Katie melted them with a wall of fire the sprang up at her feet and began to shoot the fireballs across the court.

The flames were an opening. Katie couldn’t see the floor of the court over them. Mina responded with a tripping jinx. The wood floor folded and rippled as if turned to carpet and raced across the court as Mina ducked the fireballs.

The tripping jinx rolled under Katie’s feet, knocking her onto her back. An _expelliarmus_ wrenched her wand out of her hand.

The flames in the middle of the court hissed as they were extinguished and the lights went on around the room amid whoops and clapping. Mina strood across the court and extended the hand that held Katie’s wand, helping her to her feet.

“You’re relentless,” Katie muttered, straightening her robes.

Mina grinned and touched the singed bow on her head. “I dunno, you nearly got me.”

“An excellent duel!” Flitwick piped up as he walked up onto the platform with his hands clasped behind him. He snapped his fingers and a light blue badge appeared in the air between the three of them: A shield with a silver and bronze wand crossed in front of it. Mina already knew what the tiny writing engraved along the edges said as she held out her hand. The badge fell into it.

It was the third Dueling Club meeting and her twelfth duel of the year. She’d beat out Hermione and Ravenclaw’s Marcus Belby in the semi-final rounds earlier in the hour and having beating Katie, she’d earned the position of Dueling Club President.

“Congratulations,” Flitwick told her with a tight smile. He pivoted around, towards the audience of fifty or so other excited club members – up from 25 who’d been here the first week. “Now,” he said as he did after every duel. “Lets break down that performance. What could Mina improve on?”

She pinned the badge to her robes as she hopped off the platform, not even listening to discussion about her dodging technique and whether letting the third fireball skim the top of her head had been a calculated risk or a grave error. “Prezzz-i-deeent” she sang to herself as she admired the way the badge gleamed under the giant chandeleure.

She was still grinning to herself at the end of the meeting when Flitwick asked her to stay behind so they could discuss the leadership role.

“Go ahead,” She said to Ginny, Hermione and Katie when they offered to wait up. “I’m gonna take the long way back.”

“Long way?” Katie wondered.

“She’s going flying again,” Hermione said.

“Don’t get caught by Filch again,” Ginny said.

“I won’t!” she said as she waved them off.

Her eyes drifted back to her new badge as soon as she waved them out the door of the classroom. _Finally!_ she thought. _At least I get_ some _recognition._

“You’ve improved a lot from last year,” Flitwick said. Mina turned around. He gestured to his office on the side of the Charms class. “I especially appreciated that last manuever with the fireballs,” he continued as they walked. “You knew blocking the fire would prolong the battle and took the slight hit to expedite the victory.”

“Um, sure!” Mina laughed, touching the singed part of her fringe. Was that her _hair_ that smelled like popcorn? “I really didn’t think about it that much.”

“Well that’s exactly the point,” Flitwick said. “The best place to reach, as a duelist, is practicing enough to know what manuevers you can withstand, and using the time it would take to cast a shield to cast an offensive spell while your opponent assumes they have a second to regroup.”

“Yeah...” Mina thought for a moment and grinned. “I guess you’re right.”

“You seem surprised,” Flitwick observed as he disappeared behind his tall desk. Mina took her seat, and he reappeared as his own short chair shot up several feet. “Surely,” he said as he waved his wand and took out the list of duties a club president had. (He’d passed it out at the first meeting, but she admittedly hadn’t done more than glance at it). “You knew your skill as a duelist was more than just luck.”

Mina frowned. “Of course I did, I just,” she looked down at the badge. “I mean everyone else is getting recognized for everything they’re exceptional at and I just...” she laughed. “Well its nice to have _some_ proof I’m the best at something.”

“And why would you need proof?” Flitwick raised a thin eyebrow, steepling his fingers.

“I just – you know so people would notice.”

Flitwick frowned and then surprised her. He gave a great roll of his eyes and sighed.

“What?”

“Let me guess,” he said in a shrewd tone. His nose wrinkled. “You have been passed over by the _illustrious_ Slug Club.”

Mina blinked. “I, well yes.”

Flitwick hummed. “A club which, unlike a prefecture or presidency or captaincy is based on no structured appraisal of leadership ability, academic merit, or any sort of skill.”

Mina blinked. “Then um, what is it based on?”

Flitwick raised his eyebrows and turned in his chair. “You tell me.” He waved his hand towards his wall of pictures: seven rows of decades worth of dueling clubs. “Of the 39 students who have been president of my dueling club while the Slug Club has existed, 25 of them were never members of the Slug Club before becoming so. Those that were...” He lifted one spindly finger after another while he ticked off a list. “Children of Ministers and Mugwumps, heirs to very well connected familes, or (in two cases) Quidditch prodigies pegged at a young age for a professional team.” His dark eyes turned to Mina. “Do you sense a pattern here?”

Mina crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. “They were already well connected.”

“Exactly,” Flitwick nodded. “Connection is the key. The Slug Club has of course lifted up many an underprivileged student in its time. The bulk of its members, however, start out with some distinction other than their academics or their own personal achievements. Thus, plenty of those with exceptional talents and potential get passed over because it is not designed to support every worthy student. It’s designed to make a select few feel important, thus creating a network of successful people who attribute their success to their membership. And who do suppose that benefits.”

“Slughorn,” Mina said immediately.

Flitwick nodded. “And I have seen too many of my most gifted student belittle their own potential because they do not get invited. Which somehow makes them feel they are lesser that students of equal or even middling skills – you are not going to do the same thing.”

Mina nodded.

“Do not take this as a condemnation of Prof. Slughorn,” Flitwick continued. “He’s an excellent teacher. But his pension for self-serving favoritism is not his best quality.”

Mina nodded again, thinking. “Sir, most of my friends are members,” she said. “Some of them are very good in potions, but they’re all in the same class as me they don’t do better or worse than any other NEWT student.” _Though I guess Makoto is a Quidditch Captain... but still._

“You’re wondering why they have been invited and not you.”

“Well, no.” Mina said. “Slughorn knows I don’t like him.”

“Just wait,” Flitwick said. “If you’re wearing that badge, he may reconsider his judgement.”

“Right...” Mina said. “But I’m wondering, none of us are well connected... and _The_ _Prophet_ never learned we were at the Department of Mysteries... and we clearly won’t be staying in Britain so...”

“So you are wondering what Professor Slughorn has noticed about your friends that has made him consider them?”

“Yes.”

Flitwick nodded. “He may be trying to expand the Slug Club internationally. I expect that would be a goal that would interest him. Or,” he shrugged. “It’s entirely possible you’re all close to someone else he is interested in meeting.”

“But... but we don’t know any wizards in Japan,” Mina said, wracking her brain. “Is he interested in the Order?”

“No,” Flitwick said. “Professor Slughorn is a staunch pacifist. It is one of his more agreeable qualities.” He sighed. “I’ll leave you to think it over.” He pushed the list a club president’s duties towards her. “For now, I would like to focus on important matters.”

~SMH~

Friday the 4th of October, Setsuna sat on her usual perch in the staff lounge: on the wide window sill that looked out over the stretch of the grounds where the first years had their flying practice.

Chibiusa was the easiest to see in the group: her pink pig tails streaked out behind her as Hooch coached the students through a flying obstacle course, in preparation for their final test in a week’s time. She’d improved a lot, Setsuna thought as she finished her lap. As the next student flew up to practice, Setsuna looked down into her tea. The staff lounge was always empty this time of day, and it was a half hour she looked forward to immensely: away from her office or her study or the Time Doors where she could gather her thoughts, thoughts which after the morning, were decidedly frustrated.

As she concentrated, the image of Hufflepuff’s cup appeared in the tea, just as it had in the Time Dimension that morning. Setsuna scowled

Ginerva’s drawing had been exceptionally well rendered. Well enough for her to re-imagine the real-life artifact within the Time Dimension, and set the sands to work seeking out the object’s location.

She had identified the original cup first: a well polished golden thing with elegant carvings and gems that were not overly gaudy. She’d seen it as its original: the centerpiece of a ceremony that had welcomed an orphaned muggleborn into one of the four prestigeous founding families of Hogwarts. She had leapt ahead years later to the day Rowena Ravenclaw had indeed helped Helga Hufflepuff add the Kunzite stone to the center of the golden stem. And then, having confirmed its status as the artifact protecting the Shittenou’s memories and powers, had directed her attention to the present, seeking out the object’s location.

It was harder to track objects than people. They had no strings of fate tugging them along, made no decisions that could echo back through time to them. Most frustratingly they could be easily moved and changed. A cup for instance could be stolen, lost, melted down, and it might not be clear why or by whom.

But she had thought it would be simple enough to get at least _an idea_ of the damn thing’s location. Particularly given that the levels and the nature of its magic would stand out.

And yet, the image she had set the Time Sands to tracking down had become shimmery. A mirage of the real item. Which meant, like Timothy Abbott, that it was under the control of a person she could not see, or in a location that had distorted the rules of space so much as to be impossible to accurately identify.

 _Or it could be both_ , Setsuna sighed, leaning against the cool stone wall of the window sill. _Though I question what kind of coincidence could put an artifact of Helga Hufflepuff’s in Lestrange’s hands_.

She frowned. _And even a masked or distorted location in space could still give a general area which I could search_ , she considered, for in the brief moments last month that Lestrange had been accessible to her, she had been able to determine her unplottable manor’s location within a five kilometer radius. _So it’s plausible the cup is with her, or at least has been put somewhere by her._

The next step then was to track it through time, find the moment it had passed into Lestrange’s hands. Setsuna pinched the bridge of her nose. She was not particularly keen on following a cup through 1,000 years worth of time.

She had tried too, looking for the point in time where they would acquire Kunzite’s stone, as she had last year. Last year she’d determined they might get access to Kunzite in another year’s time if they let events play out with little interference. _This morning_ she’d been frustrated to see that while Zoicite might be found close to Christmas, and Nephrite potentially in April or May, Kunzite’s was a blur.

 _I did not anticipate Bellatrix past actions might be hidden from me as well_ , Setsuna scowled. _Are other Death Eaters out there taking whatever potion this is_?

“Ah!” an all too cheerful voice startled her as she looked up from her tea. Horace Slughorn was shutting the door of the staff lounge and grinning quite merrily. “I didn’t realize you’d be here – delightful.” She matched his smile as he approached, waving his wand towards the kettle. It poured him his own cup of tea which sailed into his hands. “Hello,” he said. “I don’t believe I’ve seen you outside the Great Hall in weeks.”

“Yes well, I tend to keep a very busy schedule,” Setsuna said.

“Well that I had gathered already – teaching two classes,” Horace marveled and sipped his tea. “I don’t know how you have the time.”

Setsuna’s mouth twitched as she tried not to smirk. “It can be challenging.”

“I should think – your students speak very highly of you, I have to say, and your transfer students as well. You know many of them have been attending my club dinners.”

“Hotaru’s told me.” Setsuna sipped her tea. “I apologise that I haven’t been able to attend one yet.”

“Oh no worries,” Slughorn said, smiling wider. “Though from my conversations with Dumbledore it sounds as if you’ve got quite a lot of work you’re doing besides your classes.”

She frowned. Horace was not a member of the Order to her knowledge. “I have always enjoyed having projects,” she said. “Some of them relate to the war here, so they do require a lot of attention.”

Slughorn leaned against the wall beside her window sill. “Such a terrible situation,” he bemoaned. “So many of my best students gone before their time because of the last war.” He sipped his tea. "You know, I've never been one who likes getting involved in this war business," Slughorn said. "But you set an inspiring example." He gave her a wide smile. "You know whatever your research is, it would surely go more smoothly with someone who knows the bureaucracy here."

Setsuna frowned. "I doubt it,” she said. “I am interested mostly in unplottable locations and death eaters," she told the Potions Master. "They are quite difficult to track by nature."

"Ah! Well that might be something I could help you with," Slughorn said. "I have a few former students in ministry departments who might keep lists of things that have been made unplottable. You know for the past two centuries you've needed permits for that sort of thing. And," he mused, tapping his chin. "I have become quite familiar with many pureblood houses over the years. Enough, certainly to know who's donated their money where."

"That... might be very helpful," Setsuna said, imagining what she might be able to accomplish with not just the names Severus could pass on to her, but sympathizers as well. _I'd certainly have a broader understanding of Voldemort’s network..._

"It would be no trouble." Slughorn said "I'll tug a few strings whisper in a few ears." she jumped a little when he reached out and touched her shoulder, squeezing it. "I imagine what ever work you do is quite important. I want to help in any way I can."

Setsuna smiled at him. "Thank you Professor Slughorn."

"Oh come now, Setsuna," he scoffed. "Surely co-workers can address each other by their first names."

She chuckled, sipping her tea again and shrugging off his hand. She hoped it came off as a casual gesture. Millennia of guarding the door had left her more than a tad uncomfortable with such casual touch from acquaintances, but she certainly didn’t want him to think her cold as some had called her in the past. "How much time would it take you to talk to your connections?" she asked.

"Hmm… perhaps a week for those I’ve kept up with most frequently," Horace said. "I'll see if the others wouldn’t like to come for a reunion of sorts. Oh that might be splendid!" He chortled, finishing his cup of tea. "By the way,” he added. “I've asked a few others so far, but perhaps you might be better able to help – You know Dumbledore wants to have someone chaperoning the Hogsmeade trips this year."

Setsuna nodded. The staff had been discussing the Hogsmeade issue months before term. “Did you volunteer?"

"Well I did and then I checked the list of students – I’d have thought there'd be fewer of them approved to go, but there's a list of over 400! And the first one – I’d forgotten until Minerva reminded me – that’s always so popular. I'm not sure I could keep an eye on that many alone."

"It does sound like a good idea to have extra supervision," Setsuna mused. Then again, she expected all 5 of the inner senshi would be there if there did happen to be an attack. "I wish I could help, but I also have a pressing project that will be taking up my time this weekend.” If she was going to have to follow Hufflepuff's cup through as much of its 1,000 years of life as possible, she wanted to do it before matters concerning the war forced her to put her search for the Shittenou aside again. "Perhaps I would be able to help with the next Hogsmeade trip though."

Slughorn sighed. "Of course. I understand. No matter," he said. "I'm sure I can find someone else, though perhaps no one who is such good company as you."

She chuckled. "Well, Rubeus is always good company. And he's very protective of the students." She said, and stared into her tea as she considered the result of that course of action. "If you ask him, he'll say yes."

Slughorn’s smile slipped for a moment, though Setsuna couldn’t fathom why. "Well that's an excellent suggestion I think I'll ask him." He waved his wand to summon the kettle "Refill?" he asked.

Setsuna thought. It was close to 15:00 and she did need to spend a bit of time seeing if any of the pockets of the Death Eaters forces on her map would be causing trouble in the week to come. Still...

"Alright," she said.

When the kettle had refilled her tea, Horace sent it back to its spot on the table. Then he waved his wand, transfiguring the bookshelf behind him into a large, wood-brown armchair that he settled into with a sigh. "That’s better – I hope I’m not keeping you. But I have been very curious about your teaching. You see: I’ve never had a student rave about muggle studies or divination like yours do. I simply must know what the secret is!" he chuckled, leaning closer to her. "If I could just get my own students to care half so much, why: we'd have a potion for every whim by now."

She was sipping her tea, pondering how to answer, when the staff room door swung open. Severus Snape strode in. His natural scowl deepened when he saw them. "Good afternoon, Horace," he intoned, strolling over to the teapot. Setsuna frowned; he was holding his left arm quite stiffly against his side (which he only ever did when the dark mark burned).

"Severus!" Horace said merrily. "I never see you here!"

"Well I'm leaving momentarily," he said, looking at Setsuna "I needed to speak to Professor Meioh."

"Yes?"

"Several of your transfer students are struggling in my classes," he said. "I was hoping we could discuss ways they might improve. Perhaps over tea…" his eyes fell towards Slughorn. "Or dinner."

It was the third time this term he had requested a meeting this way, an excuse he would give if other staff or students were present if he needed to discuss new information.

Which, if he was being summoned now, he would have for her soon…

"When did you have in mind?" Setsuna asked.

"Tomorrow. 18:00."

Slughorn interjected. "Well I’m afraid you'll have to pick a different time, Severus," he said. "Setsuna's quite busy."

"Quite busy, yes," she said, uncomfortably aware she had just told Slughorn she had an all day project. But it couldn’t be helped. It might compromise Severus position to explain that his meeting was more important than a Hogsmeade patrol. "But I think I'd have time to discuss it over dinner."

"Excellent," Severus said. "Then I may get back to work." And he whirled out of the room.

"Why, he's forgotten his tea," Horace said. "Even more distracted than when he was a lad."

Setsuna nodded, mind on Severus and what news he might have for her of Voldemort's movements. Or perhaps even Bellatrix's...

"Sorry," she said to Slughorn. "You were saying."

~ _SMH_ ~

Hamish Stebbins rolled both his shoulders as he walked into Grimmauld’s kitchen, for a moment feeling as though his right shoulder weighed just the same as his left and having to look to confirm that his arm still wasn’t there. He sighed, going to the icebox and hunting around for the ice cream Sirius always tried to hide in the back. And perking up when he heard cheering crackled out of the Wizarding Wireless on the counter.

_“And that’s 10 points to the Kenmare Kestrels! It’ll be a dead tie if they catch the snitch now folks!”_

Hamish grinned. If they could edge out a win against Puddlemere United he’d win two galleons off of Sirius. Which would be a great end to a considerably better day than many of late. Albeit, also a very tiresome day.

He’d been working with his sword all afternoon. Which he supposed was technically overdoing it, but he really didn’t care. There was a war to be fought after all, and every minute he could pour into sword practice was one step closer to being useful again.

It felt good to wield one too. Even when hours of practice made it feel as heavy as lead in his hand. _How the hell does Haruka make it look so easy_? he mused as he pulled out one of the kitchen chairs with his foot and sank down into the seat.

“ _And Puddlemere’s Seeker knows it too. Trust me folks he does not want the Kestrels edging out a win. Look at him! I haven’t seen a seeker that frantic since they banned dragons as mascots in ‘87!”_

Spread across the surface of the kitchen table was the war map, one that seemed to grow and change on a daily basis now. Hamish scanned over it idly as he ate his ice cream, not expecting to notice anything new considering it looked increasingly like a menagerie of magical creatures and death eater spottings with no order between them.

There were so many now that the white circles they’d once used had been turned to colored ones: Purple for vampires, grey for trolls, green for death eaters, pink for werewolves, black for dementors. Red for places where they new something or someone was lurking but where they had been unable to discern what or who.

_“Another 10 to the Kestrels! If they catch it now they win the match! Ho! Look at United go, I haven’t seen this move in a while.”_

_How can they even have Quidditch with a war on?_ Hamish thought. _That’s bound to be a target._ _But_ , he realized with a scowl, _Death Eaters probably like Quidditch too._ He hoped none of them were Kestrels fans.

“ _Kestrels’ Seeker has been totally Shut. Out. And Puddlemere’s taking no chances either. Look at them they’ve abandoned zone tactics all together!”_

 _Zoning..._ Hamish thought as he looked at the map, _that might be something to check_. If each group of dark creatures was responsible for a certain radius then where they overlapped might be a location of a stronghold. He set down his ice cream, reaching for one of the scraps of parchment they always left on the table. And then reaching again for the muggle pens next to them.

 _Maybe there is something to that Quidditch theory_ , Hamish thought. _I wonder if whoever strategises for Voldemort plays Quidditch too._ Or Voldemort himself might play Quidditch. Hamish shook his head, trying to dismiss the last thought. Or course Voldemort wouldn’t play Quidditch. That was ridiculous, and it left a very uncomfortable feeling in his gut.

 _“It’s a full on Snidget’s Guard!”_ the announcer shouted into the wireless. “ _Puddlemere’s got this locked down folks. Yes! YES! We have an attempt! He’s leaning off the edge of the broom... THATS A CATCH! 150 points and the win to Puddlemere United!”_

Hamish’s pen froze on the parchment. He didn’t even care that he now owed Sirius two galleons. Instead he stood up, scanning over the map with fresh eyes.

“Snidget’s Guard...” Hamish muttered, looking at the colored markers with new eyes. “Snidget’s Guard...”

The Death Eaters absolutely would follow Quidditch too...

~SMH~

Friday evening, Mina, Rei, and Akira swept over the grounds again, and the forests, taking the brooms farther afield in case anything were lying in wait for the Hogsmeade visit the next day.

“Anything new in your dreams?” Mina asked, while they flew.  
"I saw someone who shouldn't be here," Akira said. "Someone whose presence can alter things."  
"The Wizard in White," Rei said. "He's been in my dreams too. At Hogsmeade."  
Mina looked between the two of them. "Alright... why don’t fly a wider perimeter then... still isn’t very late."  
They flew for another half an hour. Akira kept up a constant string of stories, sometimes making up imaginary constellations out of the visible stars to go along with her tales.  
She had just gotten to the middle of a story about a princess who banished a witch by conjuring a magical sword, one that gave Mina a startling sense of de-ja-vu, when Akira and Rei halted, brooms whipping around to the right.  
In the near-blackness of the cloudy night, the flashes of green up in the hills were brighter than explosions. They sped towards them. Mina conjured her patronus, sending it racing off to inform the Order of their location.

Halfway to the sight of the green spell-fire the Dark Mark went up in the sky.

“We’re gonna be too late again,” Rei worried. “Hang on.” She stopped her broom and closed her eyes, pressing her hands together.

Then she pointed to the south, several miles away from the Dark Mark, Mina and Akira shot off ahead, and Rei raced to catch up as more green lights appeared in the darkness. They made the tops of the trees glitter, Mina noticed. As if they were covered in…

_Ice!_

“Dement-ahh!” She screamed as two creatures in black, bedraggled cloaks and with dead, scabbed hands rose up on either side of her broom, reaching towards her.

“Mina!” Rei shouted, moving to conjure her own patronus. It chased the two dementors away and the five more who appeared around their brooms. The creatures jumped back, pushed away from the crow patronus towards…

“ _Akira!”_ the two sixth years shouted. But the five dementors had already converged on her. She screamed. Three more shot up between them. The group of dark creatures weaved up and between all of their brooms forcing them apart. Two were incinerated by Mina’s birds. Another was chased away towards the forest by Rei’s crow. The other four other dementors though, had pursued the first year, they could see her broom glittering very far ahead in the darkness, blinking as the black silhouettes of the dementors continued to give chase. They converged on her.

“ _Akira_!”

Akira could not hear Mina and Rei’s shouts, only explosions in her ears as she raced away from the dementors. She couldn’t see them in the dark but she kept running, closing her eyes. The explosions were becoming louder and louder in her ears as everything got colder and colder.

“L-lumos!” she shouted. Her cherry wand lit up with a bright, white light.

And a scabbed, corpse-like hand curled round it, blocking it out – everything was as black as the sky had been that day…

The first explosion deafened her, cracking the wood floor of the temple in too. She ran to the door as more, smaller explosions reached her ears.

_“Mamas!”_

_They'd let her stay home from school today. She'd woken up sick from her bad dream of the whole city falling asleep, never waking up, and of the big dark planet blocking the Moon..._

_An earthquake shook the entire house, shattered all her sculptures and the pictures and the holo screen – even the communication link to the palace._

_She saw darkness out the window, coming from a giant black crystal growing out of the ground opposite the palace. The whole sky had clouded over with darkness._

_Just outside, a bright rainbow light blazed across the temple grounds. The shield had been activated!_

Mamas!

_They'd practiced this. If anything ever happened like this that was scary, she was to go to her room and lock the door and wait for them. Always wait for them._

_Another earthquake rumbled outside, cracking ground open._

What’s happening!

_She ran out the front door instead and choked on the thick, smoggy air. She shivered as she stared outside._

_It was her nightmare: all the shiny skyscrapers were shattering and falling. Smoke billowed up in ugly black and purple plumes all across the city – even near the palace._

_The crystal point outside was blazing red, orange, green, and blue powering the shield around Tokyo – just like the four lights shining within the highest tower it the palace. She tripped across the rumbling ground, coughing. The air was so heavy it made her stomach turn._

_She got to the crumbling steps of the Temple and cried out, slamming into something orange and red and shimmering._

_A barrier around the temple! She pressed her hands to it; it would not budge._

_"Mamas!"_

_Right across the canal from the palace the black crystal was growing even bigger than the buildings – sucking in all the light._

_She was so cold she could not feel her limbs and yet the buildings were melting! She pressed hard against the light barrier. Out. She needed to get out, and get to them and..._

_"Let Me OUT!"_

_There was a bright flash – a surge of heat_

_The barrier melted away. She tumbled down the steps that were buckling and breaking beneath her,_ _  
she didn’t stop to wonder why it was easier to move now, or why her temple robes were lighter. Rather, she ran, tripping on every warped and twisted road and over the ravines that were tearing open in the ground. She ran right towards the palace. It wasn’t far… just four blocks. She could get there. She could._

_The black crystal grew larger, and larger, and larger as the trees and the flowers and the grass withered. She tripped next not over a crack in the ground, but a body, sapped of life, everything save their bones was already crumbling to dust._

_She screamed, running blindly away. She saw the arcade, windows shattered, and went to it. The old command center…_

_Mamas would find her here surely. She put her hands on the glass door, which shattered at just her touch, and she ran to the ancient Sailor V game and the old staircase. The game was gone – it was smoking and burning in pieces on the stairs._

_She ran down and gasped. The basement air was lighter and fresher than any of the air above._

_She pressed every button on the old, clunky computer until one of the screens came on._

_There was the palace and the four bright lights on the top - And the queen! She was running outside of the walls…_

_A sudden, bright flash made her scream and fall away from the computer, hitting the floor. The computer flickered. She scrambled up, hitting all the buttons again, until the image was restored._

_The fires had gone out. Everything seemed covered in crystal…_

_She squeaked – the queen too – frozen with her hand still outstretched!_

_And the giant black crystal still stood, now as tall as the palace, blazing across the channel._

_She trembled as something else happened outside. The shield around Crystal Tokyo faded. The crystal points dimmed._

_The four lights atop the crystal palace went out._

_She felt the heavy weight of her normal robes return as she sat heavily on the floor, curling up and staring at the monitor. They would come find her. They'd only de-transformed. They were alright._

_The sky remained darker than night. The sun did not shine through the thick, black clouds. Behind the black crystal, the evil planet loomed very close, just like her dream. What few lights were still on around the city went out one by one._ _  
Then monitor died. The computer lights dimmed, leaving the whole room pitch black, ice cold. She couldn’t even see her hands as she brought them up to cover her eyes._

Mamas...

Akira groaned, blinking her eyes open to darkness and closing her hand around wet dirt and pointy pine needles.

She was in a forest…

 _I must have fallen off Mako’s broom,_ she thought. _I hope they can get it back for her…_

She sat up slowly, feeling scrapes on her arms and sticks in her hair and her robes. Had the trees broken her fall?

Something screamed. She jerked her head towards the sound.

She couldn’t see a thing in the dark. But she could sense things: one thing in particular – the dark energy from her dream – the one making the changes.

She stood up, stretching out her hands and feeling around for the tree trunks as she crept across the forest floor, towards the screams that didn’t quite sound human. Their high pitch made them sound almost like a whisper.

And then she could hear giggling too, and see scant light shining through the trees. She stood on her tip-toes, hugging closely to the tree trunks.

Three figures appeared though the trees. One with a hood. One with wild hair. And one…

A dementor, trapped in a dome of white light.

She heard one of the figures murmur something. And the wild haired figure raised a twisted wand towards the dementor. Something pink and black appeared at her wand tip, accompanied by a sound like breaking glass. All the birds in the branches above screeched and flew off as the branches shook.

The black and pink magic shot into the dementer, and it glowed for one, brief second. Its struggles stilled. The shield around it went down.

The wild haired one’s head snapped towards Akira.

She hugged the tree she hid behind, knees shaking. Her hand found the locket she kept under her robes as she took another silent step. Then another. Her foot hit a root and she glanced behind her, trying to see.

Suddenly then the ground lit up with a bright, white light and her whole body stiffened, her arms and legs locked together as she looked towards its source.

The light came from the white robes of the wizard looming over her, his glowing hood low, covering most of his face. He cocked his head to the side and smiled at her, lifting his arm and his wand.

“ _Bunruisuru.”_

A small shock zapped her and then a light orange light lit up even more of the forest, emanating from the symbol Akira could feel burning on her forehead.

The wizard’s smile widened. “Interesting,” he whispered. “I’ve never seen you before.” He bent down to her level, as the parts of her body she could move trembled. His hood remained over his face. “Where did you come from, hmm? Did they find you when they came here?”

Akira kept her mouth closed and squeezed her eyes shut, _Transform!_ she tried to coach herself. But the words were trapped by the lump in her throat. She couldn’t even voice the first syllable.

She heard the wizard make a disapproving hum. “Already indoctrinated I see. She does have that awesome ability – inspires such dedicated followers,” he hissed, voice laced through with envy. “No matter.”

Akira forced her eyes open as she heard him stand. He was frowning. “You may still be brought back to the light,” he said as his hand reached out towards her, cloak billowing in a sudden breeze. The corners of it stretched towards her. Her magic reacted.

The wizard screamed as a bright heat wave knocked him off his feet and forced him back as it traveled out through the forest, melting through the thick trunks. Akira felt her limbs spring apart as the jinx burnt out, and looked down at starburst of scorched glass and smoldering tar that surrounded her. _Thank goodness._

At once there was a soft _pop_ to her left. She snapped her head towards it, hand fumbling for the locket under her robes and the wand in her pocket…

There in the orange light that shone from her forehead was the woman with the wild hair stepping out from between the burning stumps of the trees. Her twisted wand was pointed right at Akira as she glared at her, hastening to the side of the wizard who was sitting up, one melted hand clutching his face.

He laughed, getting to his feet, still holding his ruined hand to his face.

“This is one of _those_ ones from the ministry!” Bellatrix gasped. “What did you do!” a red light shot off the end of her wand.

Something snapped, hot chain links wrapped around Akira’s waist and jerked her up away from the red light. Bellatrix screamed. An arrow of flame pierced her through the gut.

The love whip dragged Akira up into the air, back to two broomstick riders in red and orange uniforms.

Mars loosed another arrow on the heels of the first as Venus caught Akira. It sailed right towards Bellatrix head.

And didn’t reach her. The flame arrow was caught in the air by dead, spindly fingers and it hissed as it was extinguished, its heat overpowered by the sudden cold. The dementor swiveled its head towards them.

 _“Expecto Patronum!”_ Mina shouted. Her flock of orange birds dove at the dementor as it raised its other hand.

A sudden black whirlwind jumped out of the ground, kicking up grass and dust and the ash of the burnt trees as it masked the dementor and the two Wix. Mina’s birds hit it, shredding into the wind.

Mars and Venus flew backwards, Mina still clutching Akira as a bright green light shot out of the dissipating whirlwind. The light expanded into a skull and snake high up in the black sky.

And on the ground: the bird patronus had destroyed the whirlwind. Where it had been was a ring of blackened stumps, a starburst of glass that glittered in the still smoldering flames that had sprung up all around the empty forest floor.

Bellatrix and the wizard had vanished.

~ _I Solemnly Swear I Am Up To No Good~_


	8. Where Things Stand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last Time on Sailor Moon H: Bellatrix has been frustrating Setsuna to no end, and so too has the mysterious white wizard whom now seems to shadow her. Things came to a head when Akira Hino came face to face with this mysterious enemy on a patrol of Hogwarts grounds. All may not remain bleak though – Hamish Stebbins may have had a breakthrough about the Death Eaters’ strategy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Oh. My. God. It has been a month I’ve been dying to finish this chapter for you. I actually cut it short. I hope you will forgive me. I can say that thanks to my new job and my move, I am in a much better mental place than I was over the bulk of the summer. That said it is a very demanding job. And I’ve had to cut back on writing considerably. So I am sorry about that, I am working on getting my work/writing balance a little more…balanced. XD but I hope you like this! I was really anxious to post it. I still plan to start releasing Aquarius 2 at the end of October but this will take priority. I’m like bound and determined to write the final 11 chapters. And I am almost done with the next chapter now! If only I didn’t have a bedtime. XD 
> 
> Disclaimer: See chapter one

**Where Things Stand**

Ami was sure she woke half of Ravenclaw as she ran down the tower stairs, having been awoken by one of Mina’s Patronus birds saying there was trouble beyond the grounds.

She heard two of the doors below her open as she raced towards the common room, meeting Hotaru and Megumi as they too sprinted down the stairs. And above her, Ami could hear several of her dorm mates following her as well.

 _But there might not be time to convince them to stay behind,_ Ami reasoned as she and the two younger students made it to the common room. They startled Luna Lovegood, drawing in one of the armchairs. Her radish earrings swung to the side as she tilted her head, and stood from the couch, tossing her work aside. “Has there been an infestation of Warbling Wimpletons?” she asked as she ran ahead of them to the Common Room door and threw it open.

“Afraid not – trouble outside” Ami said as she, Hotaru, and Megumi raced out onto the tenth floor landing.

“A shame,” Luna said as she followed them out the door. “They’re much easier to deal with.”

The four of them could hear other Ravenclaws behind them as they ran down ten flights of stairs, scaring Ms. Norris who hissed at them and gave chase as they ran to the catch the staircase that had moved to the opposite side of the third floor. Once down on the second floor they turned down the hall to the main stairs and then ran into the Entrance Hall, meeting a stampede of Gryffindors as they charged in from the western corridor. Usagi, Sora, and Ginny (with her sword in hand) were in the lead of that group, and beat the Ravenclaws to the front doors, which were already open wide. A whole crowd of students was gathered outside – like themselves in stockings and slippers. All of them stared southwards.

“Move!” Ginny and Hotaru shouted, and one glance at their sword and glaive saw the crush of students – Hufflepuffs and some Slytherins – diving away. The senshi and their friends rushed to the front, where Makoto was already standing, one arm around Chibiusa and her wand in her fist. She was glaring towards the Forbidden Forest.

“They’re on their way back,” Makoto said, pointing towards the night sky.

Which was not as dark as it ought to have been. And of them gasped when they took in the full sight of it for the first time.

Dark marks loomed over the trees, casting both the canopy and the thick clouds overhead in a sickly green. There were six that they could see, the eyes of the skulls and the snakes glaring down towards the castle.

“They’re coming to attack us,” several of the students behind them were whispering. All the students huddling closer together as the sentiment was passed from student to student until the hushed chatter had filled the whole crowd and the grounds, with a panic.

“Bloody Hell!” Ron Weasley’s voice cut through the whispers as many students turned back towards the castle and parted to make way for Hermione Granger and the sixth year boys she'd woken up and who were running at her heels. Argus Filch, panting and scowling, was scuttling along behind them, pushing his way through the crowd that was much less eager to let him pass.

“What’s happened?” Harry Potter demanded as he and the Gryffindor sixth years joined the line with the scouts and their friends.

“Dunno yet,” Ginny said, glaring towards the forest just like the others. “Rei and Mina are out there, with Rei’s sister."

“Are you sure she said they were alright?” Sora asked Chibiusa. Her own locket was open in her hand. “Akira!” she shouted into it.

“ _We’ll be back soon.”_ Akira’s voice came through the locket clearly. “ _Nothing following us.”_

“ _That I can see_ ,” they heard Mina’s voice too. “ _Be ready just in case.”_

Usagi borrowed Chibiusa’s locket, speaking into it. “We are… come back safe.”

 _“Will do_.” Mina said, and Usagi closed the locket, handing it back to Chibiusa.

Filch had finally broken through the crowd.

“Gonna break out the screws for the lot of y-"

"Easy Argus" Dumbledore's powerful voice silenced the crowd as they turned around once more. Dumbledore and the heads of house were making their way down the castle’s steps.

Argus face looked purple in the green glow from the dark marks. "You cant tell me you're gonna let them!"  
"I am," Dumbledore said. "I hardly think this warrants such measures... Professor Meioh," he prompted. Professor Meioh was leaning against the open castle doors, looking up at the dark marks from behind the four heads of houses who had assembled on the steps. All five of them bore the same, grim expressions.

“I believe the danger is past,” she declared, pointing the glowing tip of her wand towards the southwest. “My students will crest the trees in 43 seconds.”

It did little to ease the tension in the crowd but it seemed to calm the professors – and the scouts (though they kept their weapons and their wands trained on the trees). The heads of house and Setsuna followed Dumbledore down the steps, the crowd seamlessly parted for the group of them.

“Of course you couldn’t resist an opportunity to look like a hero, Potter,” Snape glowered at Harry as he and the professors broke out of the crowd.

“Oh yeah, I really felt like playing hero in my pants,” Harry snapped, drawing his cloak a little closer to cover his boxer shorts. “Really how I want to be remembered.”

“Don’t underestimate the appeal,” Ginny murmured, though she kept her eyes and her wand trained on the sky. Her eyebrows shot up. “I see them!”

“Over there!” Luna Lovegood said. The whole crowd followed the light at the end of her wand as she pointed it.

Over the black silhouette of the forest, twinkles of orange and a larger silvery shape crested the tree line. The avian forms of Rei’s and Mina’s patronii were circling their brooms, ushering them and the smaller figure on the back of Rei’s broom safely onto the grounds.

But the lights of the patronii could not nearly match the cool, eerie green the serpentine sentinels cast over the lake and the grounds. And when the patronii faded (as Rei and Mina prepared to land) not even those lights remained to disrupt the way Voldemort’s mark overwhelmed the night.

The students converged on the riders as their brooms began to circle lower and lower to the ground, crowding in behind the ring of senshi and their friends. Even Dumbledore and the heads of house had some trouble working their way through the crowd this time, and Filch was stuck in the back.

But they managed. Neville made room beside himself for Mcgonagall and Dumbledore when they pushed their way to the front, Snape elbowed past Ron and Harry, Sprout hovered behind Makoto and Flitwick ducked in between Luna and Hotaru. Setsuna slipped into Usagi's place in the circle as the blond broke into the middle, rushing at her three friends as they landed. She grabbed Rei's arm as her feet touched the ground, looking between the three of riders. The three first years ran forwards along with her. They rushed to Akira as she slipped off the back of Rei's broom. Sora Kaioh reached her first, crushing the first year Hufflepuff close.

"Are you alright?" Chibiusa demanded, she and Megumi hovering next to them.

"Yeah," Akira nodded, though her subdued tone certainly suggested otherwise.

"You're cold," Sora muttered. "Why are _you_ cold?"

"Dementors," Mina answered, scowling back at the dark marks as Usagi pulled her into a hug too. "Ran into a gang of them."

"They attacked more muggle villages," Rei said, reaching out to put her hand on Akira’s shoulder, her other hand was trapped in Usagi's hug.

Dumbledore waved his wand, the shape of his phoenix patronus appearing before streaking off to the south as fast as a shooting star. "There will be aurors on scene to assess the damage," he said. “They can also put out the dark marks.” He nodded to the three of them. “Twenty points to each of you. I believe you’ve put yourselves in potential danger to protect this school many a night this year.”

Argus Filch shouted in disgust: “You’re giving them points!” He was still wadding through the middle of the crowd. “They left school property! And gotten half the castle out of bed!”

"Not the time, Argus!" Mcgonagall snapped.

"I believe there's been enough consequences from this midnight sojourner that punishment would be fairly superfluous," Dumbledore added.

It certainly appeared so on the students’ faces. Harry Potter, shoulder to shoulder with Ginny Weasley, had as tight a grip on his wand as she did on her sword. And to her left, Neville and Luna appeared equally tense.

"Who did this?" A voice trembled at the front of the crowd, and everyone turned away from the dark marks to look. Hannah Abbott's blond ponytail blew in the chill October wind, and her arms were crossed tightly across her chest.

Mina and Rei traded looks. "Bellatrix Lestrange," Mina finally said, and it caused gasps throughout the crowd. The students erupted in more frantic whispers than before. Several first years began crying.

“At ease.” Dumbledore’s calm voice carried over the crowd, silencing the whispers. “This display is meant to frighten you, but neither Voldemort nor any who follow him threaten the safety of those here.”

“He is right,” Professor Sprout said, turning to look at all the students in the crowd, particularly the first years. “This castle’s well defended. No dark creatures or dark wizards will breach the grounds tonight, nor any time soon.”

“What’s stopping them?” One first year girl, a Slytherin, snapped. “Just the trees – and whatever dark creatures live in the forest and would probably join them.”

Sprout squared her shoulders. “Why we’re stopping them – as is every other professor in this castle whom, I will remind you, is a master of their discipline. Those trees,” she nodded towards the forest. “Are a plenty good defense as long as I’m here – or your Tranfiguration professor, for that matter.”

“Professor Sprout is more than correct,” Dumbledore said. “And we are not alone – the castle itself is safer than even the Ministry. It has a thousand years of defenses keeping it standing. And you should not underestimate your friends.” He looked to the scouts, and the other older students. “Some of them have also dedicated themselves quite passionately to Defense. Your head students and your prefects are very capable castors themselves.” He looked to the other professors. “That said, I hope you and your peers will not be overly disappointed if tomorrow’s Hogsmeade trip is canceled. I think, given the activities so close to our borders, it would behoove us not to put added stress on the village of Hogsmeade this weekend.”

Though several students’ shoulders sagged, there were no shouts of protest. All the excitement for the first trip of the school year seemed to have been stolen by the dark marks in the sky.

“You will all be safest,” Dumbledore said, “back in your dorms. We’ll make sure there’s plenty of hot chocolate waiting in your common rooms before you return to bed.”

“But Lestrange could come back!” one of the Ravenclaws said. “There’s other dark creatures in the forest.”

“Like Werewolves!” one of the Slytherins said.

“She could have a whole army.” Another whispered.

“I assure you that _nothing_ will breach the grounds,” Sprout said, gravitating towards one large swath of Hufflepuffs.

But it was not her words, nor those of the other professors, that got the bulk of the students to move.

Instead, it was one prefect, standing on her toes to speak over the crowd.

“Quiet!” Hannah Abbott shouted. And everyone did. She gulped, and looked towards the Dark Marks, then at Sprout. She closed her eyes for a moment. And the whole crowd waited until she opened them again. “Professor Dumbledore and Sprout are right.” She said. “We’re safe here – safer than we’d ever be out there.” She squared her shoulders. “And anyone who thinks they don’t know enough yet to protect themselves you have us – all the prefects. We can even do extra patrols tonight, every night, if it makes people feel better.”

“There’s no need for you to do that, Hannah,” Sprout whispered.

“I know,” Hannah Abbott said. “But... I had a Hufflepuff Big once. And he was a Prefect.” She cleared her throat as her voice turned a bit hoarse. “And he taught me you do what’s right, not what’s easy. Everything right now is… harder,” she said. “And scary. So we’ve all got to do a little bit more.” She put her wand over her heart. “And I’ve got to do something.”

“I’ll patrol with her!” Ernie Macmillan, her fellow sixth year prefect shouted.

“I will too!” Susan Bones said. “I mean… I’m not a prefect, but I know how to fight!”

“A lot of us do,” Neville said, drawing all the professors attention. “I mean last year we… well we had a sort of club – Harry taught it.”

“Allegedly!” Hermione chimed in.

“Which I am still ‘allegedly’ eager to get more details about,” Mcgonagall said, turning her sharp eyes towards Harry who was shifting uncomfortably under his cloak. He pulled it even tighter around himself as he seemed more aware than ever that he’d run out of the tower in only his pants.

Thankfully, Dumbledore swiftly drew the crowd’s attention back to himself. “The commitment you all show to the community here is exceptional by every measure,” he said. “I believe for tonight we will leave it to the prefects. That said, Mr. Longbottom, Miss. Bones… all of you who have been here through the trying times of the past few years…” He looked at all the sixth years. “You know that Hogwarts is safe, you know that you can play a role in making it so. We will discuss whether those of you who are coming of age could play a role like that of a head student or a prefect in patrolling its halls.

“For now, what I need all of you to do, is set an example.” He gestured to the masses of younger students. “Help your housemates back to bed, along with your heads of house. Assure those waiting in the windows of your dorms that we are safe tonight. We will surely have updates from the aurors for you at breakfast.” He tugged his beard. “And for tonight, I think additional prefect patrols would be welcome – thank you Miss Abbott. Could you start by ensuring all those in your house make it safely back to their beds?”

Hannah’s gaze flicked once more to the Dark Marks. And she nodded. “Of course we can. Come on” she said, motioning to the students behind her. “Let’s go.” And though she stood a mere five foot one, they did, even some in Gryffindor and Slytherin began to drag their feet back towards the castle.

“We should go too,” Akira whispered.

“I guess so,” Makoto said, though she was reluctant to move. As were the other scouts, as Severus, Flitwick, and Mcgonagall attempted to corral the more stubborn of their students. Snape was having the easiest time, with only eleven Slytherins having followed Chibiusa out of her dorm.

“But!” Sora protested, holding tightly to Akira’s arm as she tried to follow the Hufflepuffs. “But wait! We should go with you!”

“It’s okay,” Akira said, giving all her friends a small smile. “We can meet up tomorrow.” She looked at Megumi and Chibiusa. “And then I can tell you what happened.”

Chibiusa’s and Sora’s eyes widened, making all the scouts frown thoughtfully. But Megumi’s face betrayed nothing. She only nodded. “We can meet first thing tomorrow… if you can all get out of bed that early.”

“I can,” Sora declared. “Easy.”

Chibiusa looked towards Snape, who had enlisted Argus Filch to lead the Slytherins inside. He was waiting on the steps, glaring towards her. “I dunno,” Chibiusa said. “I might need help getting up. The dungeon’s always dark.”

“Don’t worry,” Sora clapped her hands together. “I’ll make sure you’re awake.”

“Good,” Megumi said. “Tomorrow Morning.”

“Then we need to go inside now,” Akira said. “Snape looks like he’s about to take points from you, Chibiusa.”

Chibiusa made a face. “He can try.” But then again he also looked like he was in the mood to dole out detentions cleaning the Owlery, and she’d heard enough from Flora Carrow to know that was not worth any sneaking about. She noticed Hotaru resisting Ami and Luna’s encouragement to move back to the dorms and walked up to her. She grabbed her hand. “Come on,” Chibiusa told her, tugging her along after her first year friends. They fell into line behind the first years and the Gryffindor sixth years. Usagi slowed her walk to meet them.

“I want to know if they’re still out there,” Hotaru said. “I don’t like the feeling tonight.”

“What feeling?” Usagi and Chibiusa asked at the same time. All the students around them, and the professors turned a head to hear.

“There’s something corrupted out in the forest,” Hotaru said. “Dark magic… it’s fresh.”

“Rei felt it too,” Mina said, falling into step with them. Rei was ascending the steps ahead with Makoto and the first years. “It was one of the dementors.”

“Only one?” Usagi asked.

Mina nodded, “Lestrange did some magic on it… according to Akira.”

“What ever it was it was really bad,” Hotaru said, pointing across the grounds. “Look.”

In the green glow from the dark marks, they could see gleams of silver flashing against white as tall equine forms dashed through the edges of the trees and around the castle, towards the highlands in the north.

“Unicorns,” Usagi breathed.

“There’s thestrals too,” Saturn noted. And Chibiusa could see, if she squinted other creatures: big black shapes charging across the grounds.

“The birds were all fleeing the forest as we flew back,” Mina said.

By the time they’d reached the top of the steps, all who’d lingered outside had stopped to watch the exodus of creatures from the forest.

“At least Arogog’s staying where he is,” Ron muttered, though his freckles stood out more starkly on his face than earlier in the evening.

“Or he ran in the other direction,” Harry muttered. He leaned in the doorframe. “Reckon he’ll end up at Hagrid’s having tea.”

“Oh stop,” Hermione said, thwacking his shoulder. She swept her gaze across the grounds and bit her lip. “Even the wolves are running.”

“Didn’t know we had wolves,” Ginny commented.

“Why do you think they ran?” Neville wondered.

“Unless a Rampaging Rhinofern scared them off,” Luna said, reaching the steps alongside Ami and the remaining Professors. Snape had by now disappeared down to the Slytherin dungeons. “I suspect it was some dark magic.”

“Or me,” Akira whispered, mostly blocked from view by Rei, Makoto, Megumi, and Sora (who still held fast to her arm). “I did sort of… melt everything.”

“Accidental magic,” Hermione surmised. “That’s quite lucky.”

“D’you reckon you got Lestrange too?” Ron asked.

“The woman?” Akira looked up at Rei and Makoto, who nodded. “No. She only showed up after. I got the wizard that was with her – in the white cloak.” She made a face. “They got away.”

“Damn,” Ron said. “Would have been nice to have her out of it… or you know. With a taste of her own potions.”

No one contradicted him. No one even spoke – not even Argus Filch who paced the crowded entrance hall. His breath was rattling through his teeth as he seethed in impatience. Save for that and the whistle of the wind, the front steps were silent as they watched the larger creatures of the forest flee across the grounds.

When the last unicorn had gone, McGonagall sighed, face growing stern when she looked to the ground floor windows and saw the faces of her students pressed against the glass. “I should know by now they never listen the first time. Miss. Granger, Mr. Weasley,” she said, “If you could help me ensure all your housemates make it back up to their beds without any further detours or incidents.”

“Actually,” Setsuna said. “Miss. Granger and Mr. Weasley will have to escort them themselves.” She raised her wand, and everyone with a view of the grounds saw the Time Doors materialize at the foot of the steps. “There are other events it is prudent certain of us catch up to speed on.”

“You mean with the Ord-ow!” Ron winced as Ginny and Hermione elbowed him in the ribs. Hermione jerked her head around: several students unaware of the light resistance were still within earshot, and while no one thought the likes of Justin Finch-Fletchley or Seamus Finnigan were death eaters, they did have a penchant for talking quite a lot to everyone with ears.

“Of that nature yes,” Setsuna said to Ron. “And Minako if you would accompany us.”

“Only her!” Sora exclaimed.

Mina bit her lip. “I mean… no I should do it,” she decided, all the inner senshi nodding at her in encouragement. “I’ll tell you all tomorrow.”

“We know you will.” Makoto said, stepping between Sora and Chibiusa and ruffling Akira’s hair. “Come on,” she said. “You need chocolate if you saw dementors – and so do you,” she said to Rei.

“Can’t we stay in Hufflepuff for tonight Mako-chan!” Chibiusa tried to beg.

“First years will go straight to their dorms,” Mcgonagall said with a sharp look.

“It’s okay,” Akira told her friends. “I’ll be fine.”

“It won’t matter anyways, remember” Megumi whispered, tapping the small watch she kept round her wrist. “First thing tomorrow.”

“Precisely,” Dumbledore said. “At a more sociable hour, perhaps once you’ve all had a good breakfast – no better meal for recovering from a shocking night.”

Sora and Chibiusa looked at the scouts and their two friends and sighed. “Fine.”

“Good,” Setsuna nodded. “Then the three of us had best go.” She waved her wand and the Time Doors on the steps swung open ushering a wisp of fog across the castle’s steps. Setsuna waved Mcgonagall and Dumbledore onwards and beckoned Minako. “There’s plans we all need to be aware of.”

“Meet at seven tomorrow, Great Hall,” Mina whispered to Ami and Usagi, and hoped they would relay it to the others. Then she walked away from their group, through the giant stone doors.

~ _SMH_ ~

Friday October 4th ended with half the castle’s students, still panicked from the scene on the grounds, fearful and anxious as they returned to their dorms. They continued tossing and turning in their beds well past midnight. Thus, Saturday October 5th began with an air of restlessness still lingering in the castle’s stones.

That restlessness was felt most of all by the first year who had slipped out of Gryffindor tower at 00:01, the same time that, in the Dungeons and in the tallest tower, two other students crept out of their beds.

After all, though aurors had yet to vanish the Dark Marks from the sky, it was now, technically, first thing in the morning.

The first year Gryffindor, despite her nerves, had the easiest route down to the ground floor. She was seen only by Ron Weasley, who distracted Hermione Granger long enough to let her pass. Which was strange, given she hadn’t talked to the prefect much.

 _Then again,_ Sora considered as she slid down the last banister and stumbled to her feet on the ground floor, _maybe he knows where I’m going_.

She had to make a detour first though, to the north side of the castle where Chibiusa’s stairs down to the dungeons were. She had no sooner opened the door to the stairway than seen why Chibiusa had said she might need help: a feline shadow prowled across the dungeon stairs. Sora gulped. Mrs. Norris could always be counted on to have Filch or a teacher behind her. She wondered if the evil cat would wake Snape.

 _I’d have detention for months_ , Sora thought. She pressed her back against the wall when she saw the cat’s ears twitch. Mrs. Norris hissed, and the cat’s claws clinked as they stepped onto a higher stair.

Sora hastened to get her wand out of her pocket and squeezed her eyes shut. “Please work.” She whispered. “Please, please, _please_ work.” She took a deep breath, heard the snick of Mrs. Norris claws coming ever closer, and pointed her wand far down the hallway at the easiest target: the suit of armor gleaming beneath a bright candle. _That’ll work!_ “ _Bryonia!”_

A pink light shot from the end of her wand and there was a soft chime as it hit the metal.

Mrs. Norris hissed, then yowled. And her claws scratched sharply against the stones as she leapt up the last ten steps and bounded down the hall, her tail flicking as she stopped at the suit of armor, sniffed its boot, and meowed, twining all around it.

“ _YES!”_ Sora grinned, digging her locket out of the neck of her pajamas. “All clear,” she whispered. “Where’d you learn that spell, Chibiusa?”

“ _It was carved on my bed,”_ Chibiusa whispered back. Down below, Sora thought she heard the creak of a door being eased open. _“Lots of the beds in our dorms have them.”_

There was a crash down the hall, then the clatter of metal rolling across the floor. Sora winced. Mrs Norris had hopped up on the suit of armor’s shoulders and knocked off its helmet. The cat yelped as she dropped through the hole in the neck of the armor. And then Sora could hear her purrs echoing off the inside.

 _Why didn’t I aim the catnip charm at the tapestry,_ she thought. She spoke into the communicator again. “Hurry!” I think I messed up!” she winced as the armor’s shoulder piece clanged against the stone floor.

“ _You did fine_ ,” Megumi’s voice spoke through the locket. “ _It’s drawn Filch’s and Flitwick’s attention: that frees me up to get to the main stairs. Meet you in the entrance hall.”_

“Right!” Sora said, and heard Chibiusa’s response from both the locket and from down the stairs as Chibiusa’s slippered feet padded up the steps.

“Thanks!” Chibiusa said when she emerged from the dungeons. The two of them made quickly for the corridor that wound under the north tower and towards the entrance hall. “She’s been outside our door the past three weeks!”

“Why?” Sora asked. She’d assumed the patrols were more random than that.

“Cause there’s some older kids who keep sneaking out. We found her paralyzed outside last week. She’s gotten a lot sneakier since then.”

“Have _you_ been sneaking out without us every night then?” Sora asked. That wasn’t fair. She’d tried to sneak out several times to practice on the stupid school brooms. But she’d only made it all the way to the pitch twice without getting caught.

“Well… yeah.” Chibiusa grinned. “Don’t be mad – I’ve been visiting with Usagi and Hotaru… and Usagi’s really good at sneaking out.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Sora said. “She’s…”

“As loud as you?”

“Yes!” Sora exclaimed as Chibiusa shushed her. She clamped her hands over her mouth. “Sorry,” she whispered.

Both their communicators chimed. “ _Walk a little faster,”_ Megumi said. “ _Couple Slytherin prefects will catch you otherwise.”_

 _“_ Which ones?” Chibiusa asked.

“ _Parkinson and… and Pritchard.”_

Chibiusa frowned.

“What?”

“Pritchard’s a fifth year,” Chibiusa explained to Sora. “Parkinson’s sixth.”

“And usually they patrol by year… who’s the other sixth year?”

“Malfoy…” Chibiusa whispered back.

Sora scowled. “From the train… I don’t like him!”

“Neither do I.”

“ _Faster_ ,” Megumi’s voice cautioned again.

They had to wonder about Malfoy silently after that, as both of them hastened into the Entrance Hall. Megumi was leaning against the doorway to the cellars when they skidded out of the north corridor.

“They’re looking for you,” Megumi whispered as they descended the cellar stairs. “You’ve both got to take a different route back later.”

“And so we’ll worry about it later,” Sora said, noting the way their footsteps echoed on the cellar stairs. She hastened to the door at the bottom and threw it open “Come on!”

The door was closed again by the time Nearly Headless Nick swept into the Entrance Hall, the sound of footsteps in the cellar halls blocked by its wood.

The first years still stayed as silent as they could in the dim cellar halls. Sprout’s rooms were down here somewhere, and their soft footfalls echoed down the corridors like a heavy rain. Megumi stayed in the lead, navigating them through the tunnels which all of them were beginning to think might be shifting like the staircases did. Especially the second time they passed a hallway stacked with flour sacks.

“Just one more turn,” Megumi whispered. “Then we’ll – “

Chibiusa yelped. Sora screamed, and there was a thud as she scrambled back into the flour sacks, knocking them over. Megumi whirled around with her wand drawn.

“Goodness Gracious!” a warm, wizened voice exclaimed. Megumi squinted and looked up, it was the Fat Friar, hovering near the ceiling. “What on this blessed Earth are you three doing out of bed!” the kindly ghost worried.

“Well what are you doing phasing into people!” Sora snapped, appearing a bit ghostly herself as a sack of flour had exploded on her. She held her wand shakily leveled at the ghost, even as Chibiusa grabbed her hand and hauled her off the mess of flour sacks.

“Well that was an accident. And you’re…not even Hufflepuffs,” the Friar realized, plump features turning down in disapproval. “Off to bed with you, I say – I’ll have to fetch Professor Sprout.”

“No wait!” Chibiusa ran in front of him as he turned to fly through the wall again.

“It’s no night for juvenile games,” he tutted at her, simply moving to hover over her head, moving towards the stone wall.

“W- _Waddiwasi!”_ Sora squeaked.

So did the Friar as the spell hit him. It jerked him down by the hem of his habit and dragged him into the keyhole of a nearby closet. The lock rattled once. And then quieted.

“Woah,” Chibiusa whispered.

Sora had begun walking backwards down the corridor, keeping her wand trained on the keyhole. Megumi and Chibiusa rushed to catch up with her.

“You okay?” Megumi asked Sora, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Sora shrugged her hand away. “Yah think?” Though she did stow her wand. Her hand was shaking “And,” she glanced at Chibiusa. “It was Mina’s spell.”

“Well you did it good,” Chibiusa assured her, walking ahead. “Come on – we are close, right?” she asked Megumi.

“Just one more turn,” Megumi said. “How long will he stay in the keyhole?”

“How should I know!” Sora snapped “Do you think I wait around to see when Peeves and them pop out again!”

“No!”

“Sora!” Chibiusa whispered. She stopped short in the hallway making both of them bump into her. “Cool it.”

“But she said we were in the clear!”

“We were!” Megumi whispered back. “I can’t see ghosts.”

Sora looked quickly at her. “Really?”

“Yeah.” Megumi looked back to check the keyhole. “Time doesn’t govern people _after_ they’re dead.”

“Oh.” Sora ducked her head, blushing. “Sorry – I don’t like them.”

“They’re creepy,” Chibiusa agreed, beginning to walk again. There was a fork in the tunnel ahead, to either side of a large painting of fruit. “Which way?”

“Left up here,” Megumi answered.

They did make it the rest of the way without incident. Megumi stopped them shortly thereafter in front of a long wall of wooden barrels.

“Don’t touch them or they’ll soak you in vinegar,” Megumi advised before Sora could try kicking them. “She’s coming.”

Three seconds later one column of the barrels began to spin, rolling up the sides of the others and up to the top of the pile as a bright light streamed through the gap they left: illuminating a wide, low ceilinged room with plush black couches and a roaring fire that lit the knit yellow rugs in a warm orange hue.

Akira poked her head out from the side of the doorway, beaming at them.

“Come on in!” She beckoned them inside, over to the warm, yellow rug that lay before the large fire. “I got Mama and Mako to cast a charm over here,” she said, settling on the rug directly in front of the flames, turning her back to the heat. “It’ll make sure no one notices we’re talking.”

“Did you tell them we were coming?” Chibiusa asked as the three of them settled in a circle with her.

“I was gonna,” Akira shook her head. “But then they’d want to join in, so I lied.” She made a face. “I said I wanted to meditate.”

“Don’t feel bad about lying,” Megumi said. “They’ve got their own work to focus on – we can tell them about ours once we know more.” She looked up and they all copied her, looking twice around the common room to make absolutely sure no one was around.

Chibiusa started talking first. “You look better,” she said to Akira.

“Did they get you chocolate?” Sora asked.

“Yeah – my friend Winky gave all of us tons.” Akira smiled. “But the fire helped most.” She looked down at her hands, which she was wringing in her lap. “I saw him,” she confided. And her friends gasped. “The change maker – he’s working with that lady named Lestrange.”

“What’d he look like?” Megumi demanded, leaning forwards and bracing her hands on the rug.

“He kept his face covered – white cloak,” Akira shook her head. “And he’s young – really young. Here,” she turned away from them, holding her hand out towards the flames.

Immediately they stretched higher, colors of white, green, and black lacing through them until the fire formed an image of the Wizard in White – as he’d appeared looming over Akira in the forest.

Sora grabbed her shoulder. “He got that close?”

“Yeah,” Akira said, looking over her shoulder. “It’s okay – I handled it.” She looked back at the flames as the image began to waver. “I think I melted his face.”

“Good,” Sora and Chibiusa said.

Megumi remained silent. When they turned around they saw she had stood up. She was staring at the man in the flames and worrying her lip between her teeth. Her hands were clenched. “He looks… corporeal,” she said finally.

“He was,” Akira said. “And… Megumi he didn’t know me at all,” she said. “He didn’t even mention Chibiusa or the Queen… just the White Moon.”

“But if he didn’t know you at all,” Sora realized. “Then that's… really, _really_ young.”

“But it was him – Megumi was right,” Akira said, all of them still staring at the image in the fire. “I know he looks different, but his voice was the same.”

“Oh,” Megumi whispered behind them, and all of them turned round again as she sank back onto the rug, tugging strands of her curly hair out of its bun. “Oh no.”

“What?” All three of them asked.

Megumi closed her eyes, moving her hands to her temples. “I hate being right,” She muttered as she thought.

All of them waited (Sora bouncing her knee) until Megumi was done thinking.

Finally Megumi sighed, and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I wanted this to be a future version of him traveling back in time and changing things,” she said. “But this is _linear_ him – uncorrupted, whole, beginning of his timeline him.”

“Younger, less magical him,” Sora summarized. “And he’s meant to be here anyways.”

“No – he’s meant to be in prison under Mt. Fugi,” Megumi said. “And clearly he’s not that much less magical.” She looked up at all of them. “This means the changes we were seeing in the future – they weren’t him changing time, they were him here – now – doing it unintentionally.”

“How’s that different though?” Chibiusa asked.

“Because he’s doing what he would have done anyways,” Megumi ranted. “Going about the correct timeline at a faster rate, thus fundamentally affecting the rest of the dimensional space around him which is operating at a slower rate… and there’s no way to change the rate his timeline is happening at because there’s things he’s meant to do, don’t you see?” Megumi groaned and put her head in her hands. She muttered: “Redirect him too soon and _we_ become the paradoxical element.”

Sora patted her hand on Megumi’s shoulder, a puzzled look on her face. “Um…” she said and shook her head. “I can’t translate all of that into non-time-traveler.”

“I think I can,” Akira said, hands moving as she spoke. “You said he’s supposed to be in prison… so something changed to break him out early and now he’s doing what he was supposed to do later… now… and if we put him _back_ in prison he won’t get to finish doing those things.”

“Yes,” Megumi nodded lifting her head up. “He was meant to be in prison until after the Great Freeze.”

“But he’s out,” Chibiusa gasped. “Lestrange must have changed it – like when she killed Hotaru’s dad!”

“Probably,” Megumi said. “She’s the one Sailor Pluto can’t see.” She shook her head. “And neither can I.”

Sora stared at her. “There’s someone you and Mama-Suna can’t see?”

“Mhmm,” Megumi nodded. “Pluto even gave me a _Draught of Clairvoyance_ last week – but I _still_ can’t see her.” She made a face. “Something’s masking her from us.” She looked up at Akira. “You saw her right? What’s she look like.”

Akira turned back to the fire. The image of Bellatrix Lestrange as she had appeared in the forest formed in the flames: right down to the red light glowing at the end of the Death Eater’s wand. “Seen her before?”

Megumi frowned. “In the original timeline… no. She participated in some larger fixed events but not majorly.”

“Then maybe he’s made her into a change,” Sora said.

“What were they doing in the woods?” Chibiusa asked.

Akira frowned, waving her hand. The colors in the fire flickered. Now they could see the two as she’d first seen them: casting the spell on the Dementor. “He was teaching her how to do this when I found them.”

The four of them watched the black and pink light appear in front of Bellatrix, and a bit of the pink split off, filling the dementor.

“Show it again,” Megumi whispered. And Akira did, glancing back. Megumi was biting her lip, and Chibiusa had gone pale.

“What happened to the dementor?” Sora asked.

“It was really powerful after,” Akira said. “Like it… got a super form or something.” She turned back to them, the images in the fire vanished. “The energy felt… like his in the future. Not as strong, but the same kind.”

“Then she _is_ a change,” Sora whispered. “We find her we take her out.” She smacked her fist into her palm

“We can’t,” Megumi said, shaking her head. “Can’t you see – he’s teaching her his magic. They’re working together. If we stop her from changing anymore it could make him run, and we could lose track of him.” She bit her lip. “The prophecy might be the only way to neutralize the changes she makes, while allowing him to carry out his normal timeline.”

“Wait,” Chibiusa held up her hands. “I thought you wanted to stop the prophecy.”

“Yeah,” Sora said. “You said prophecies suck.”

“They do,” Megumi sighed, hugging her knees. “But time clearly wants this one to happen.” She furrowed her eyebrows. “I just wish I could _see_.”

“Hey,” Akira said. “Don’t worry,” She clapped Sora on the shoulder. “We can use our powers too.”

“You’re not totally blind,” Sora added.

“And even if its not your favorite method,” Chibiusa added. “Maybe letting the prophecy happen means other changes won’t happen.”

“I hope so,” Megumi sighed and asked quietly: “is anyone still diffusing.”

All of them checked each other first, relieved to see Chibiusa shake her head.

Akira looked at her hands and shook her head as well. “There was only once, and I think I dreamed it.”

They all sighed, and then looked to the last member of their circle. Who ducked her head low. Her turquoise hair fell over her eyes and she drummed her fingers on her knee.

“Sora?” Megumi asked, sharp gaze focused only on her.

“It’s just because they’re not at Hogwarts,” Sora said. “They’re out fighting all the time, where there’s more variables.” She looked up at Megumi. “Right?”

Megumi bit her lip. “As long as it’s not happening a lot.” She said. “But yes. Uranus and Neptune can take care of themselves… And I’ll make sure Pluto knows to pay extra attention.”

“And why do you call them that?” Sora blurted out. “You’ll call Mercury Aunt Ami, why won’t you call them Mamas or Papa?”

“Yeah… it was okay for us to tell the truth,” Akira cocked her head to the side. “Why can’t you?”

“Because you make sense to them!” Megumi snapped. “I don’t make sense to the Eternal Guardian of Time. Not yet.” She looked into the fire. “Calling her Sailor Pluto… makes it easier to lie.”

She wasn’t looking, so she jumped when Sora leaned over and hugged her. And then Chibiusa and Akira.

“She asks about you whenever we have tea,” Chibiusa said. “So whether you can tell her the truth or not… She cares about you a lot.”

“And you’re gonna mend the timeline,” Akira promised. “And we’re gonna send the change maker back where he belongs.”

“And I’ll try really hard to do what you say,” Sora added. “Even if it’s nothing.”

“Because we all know that’s your strong suit,” Megumi mumbled from the middle of the huddle. She sniffed, wiping both eyes. “For now it’s nothing.” She said as they pulled back “Except figure out why Pluto and I can’t see Lestrange.” She took a breath. “And trust them to win their war…”

~ _SMH_ ~

By 00:01 on October 5th, an emergency meeting of the Order of the Phoenix had gathered. It was comprised of only twelve members who leaned over the war map in Grimmauld’s kitchen. All of them: from the Hogwarts professors and Mina at one end of the table to Tonks and Moody at the other end, had their tense arms braced on the tabletop as Hamish Stebbins moved his single, brown hand over the silver models that Rigel Fawcett was levitating over the map. His excitement was making his voice sound nearly jovial as he explained.

“Snidget’s Guard,” Stebbins said, moving the floating figures so that the larger, human ones hovered in a circle around the smaller silver sphere. “It’s where you send your largest players – regardless of position – to be a physical block around the snitch. It’s a footnote in most playbooks – really unconventional. Only time you’d do it’s if you had a _really_ dynamic defenseman and only if you were within catch distance of a win and the other team’s seeker was faster or the other team’s got bludger control or –”

“Get to the Death Eaters, boy,” Moody snapped, banging his hand on the table and glaring his normal and his magical eye towards Stebbins.

But true to his house, the Hufflepuff alumnus did not seem rattled. “Sorry,” he shrugged, his grin mirroring Rigel’s across the table. “But it makes sense, see: they have something that’s valuable to their winning – like a snitch. And we’re the faster seeker. They know that, we proved that at the Ministry in June.” Stebbins hand shifted down to the map and their eyes followed as Fawcett transfigured his models back into cutlery. “Because look where the largest defenders on V-Voldemort’s side are.” His hand ghosted across the line of blue markers dotted up the western coast between Cardiff and Liverpool – Giants.

“And across the sea,” Remus noted. “Between Waterford and Dublin,”

“So,” Moody growled. “He’s also got a whole troop of fifty them out there threatening to terrorize every settlement between York an’ the midlands. That’s what Giants _are,_ ” he said. “A big, hard-to-placate threat to distract us every time we get to close to raiding something important.” But his magical eye was darting around furiously in its socket, trying to find whatever only Stebbins could see.

“Yes – but I also remember from the NEWT,” he said. “They’re one of only a few magical beings with a natural defense against apparation and portkeys. It’s impossible to use either to access a giant’s territory directly.

“But these giants have _moved_ ,” Moody said. “These aren’t their home lands – that effect would not cover a very large distance.”

“Unless they all physically blocked a territory,” Stebbins said. “Then the effect can be amplified.”

“And what area would that be, Mr. Stebbins?” Dumbledore asked. “Given that the giants you’ve pointed out on the coasts are separated from each other.”

“They’re not though.” Stebbins said, grabbing a piece of charcoal off the table. “Look.” And steadier than he’d yet drawn anything in his left hand, Stebbins drew a circle connecting the line of giants on the British and Irish coasts, the arcs of which traversed the waters of the Irish Sea and St. George’s Channel. Sirius, Tonks, and Haruka swore as Michiru whipped her mirror out to check.

“We haven’t seen any above the surface,” Rigel said. “But muggle sources have reported very rough waters and incidents: ships unexpectedly floating off course, docking in Tramore here where they meant to reach Rossfare Harbor…” he waved his hand. “The coordinates match these lines enough to indicate there’s some defense under the water.”

“They’re right,” Michiru said, showing the mirror to Haruka and Setsuna. “They look like they’re sleeping.”

“Could it be like the enchantment they used in the Triwizard?” Rigel Fawcett asked Dumbledore. “Could that let them stay underwater indefinitely?”

“Cast properly it certainly could,” Dumbledore mused, tugging his beard. “Which might make it possible to swim past them, though I suspect Voldemort or Bellatrix,” he nodded to Setsuna, “As I’m assuming you’ve been seeking, would have put other defenses below the water.”

“I could get through with the Time Doors,” Setsuna assured him, “Provided enough of the Giants were taken out beforehand.” She nodded to Mina.

“Right,” the blond said, putting together what she and the inner senshi’s role in this might be. “Twenty feet tall and resistant to magic,” she combed back her hair. “Piece of pie.”

            “But what are they guarding,” Remus asked, frowning at the parchment expanse of the Irish Sea. “Why such an elaborate defense?”

“Whatever it is,” Rigel Fawcett said. “It’s affecting the water temperature. The muggle sat-satellites,” he checked with Setsuna. “They’re showing the temperature’s dipping below freezing, well below freezing. It’s too early in the year for that.” He waved his wand. And blue began to fill the charcoal circle on the parchment and ink map, the color darkening into rings of different shades. “Darker is colder,” Fawcett said. As the blue continued to fill the circle, a very dark patch growing more and more distinct close to northern Wales.

“Bloody hell,” Tonks whispered. “There’s no island there, they must have made one.”

“Got a theory to share, Black,” Moody asked, his normal eye trained on Sirius.

Sirius had crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at the dark blue mark on the map. “It would be very funny is all,” Sirius said. “Make an island in the middle of the sea, fill it with all the missing pure and half-bloods, surround it with dementors that change the temperature.” His mouth twitched into a smirk. “Azkaban for the Blood Traitors.”

“Is that… funny?” Stebbins asked.

“Prison humor,” Sirius said. “And if I know her at all, I’d say my dear cousin’s humor.”

“Then Timothy Abbott could be there,” Setsuna determined.

“I would say time is of the essence,” Dumbledore said. “If your past attempt at a rescue is any judge.”

Everyone in the room nodded.

“Tomorrow night,” Mina said.

“Round three,” Moody growled, “When they’re all sleeping under their hats and they’re aim’s gone to shit.”

“I can get the prisoners off the island,” Setsuna said.

“I can pass the dementors,” Michiru added.

“We need a way inside,” Haruka said. “We’ve no idea what kinda defenses they’ve got on whatever that is.”

The chatter around the table picked up quickly, ideas being bandied about across the war map, running into eachother, voices rising as ideas flew half-formed from their mouths.

Until Tonks extended her left arm across the middle of the table, and then the whole group fell silent as she rolled up her sleeve.

Her pale skin darkened, a tattoo of a snake and skull appearing between her wrist and elbow.

“I’m your way in,” she said. “Bone’s will cover for me at the office.”

The tense energy in the kitchen shifted immediately from anxiety to excitement as a plan formed – each piece building perfectly off of the next. A solid plan. A good plan. Set for Sunday, October sixth, at 3:00 am – 27 hours away.

27 hours and, Setsuna thought, they might at last free the likes of Garrick Ollivander and Timothy Abbott.

~ _I Solemnly Swear I Am Up To No Good~_


	9. The H.O.M. Fronts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which TEitPP pulls off a battle scene of risk-level complexity (my brain hurts) and we get a voice over from Nymphadora Tonks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Oh boy oh boy oh boy. HERE WE GO. FIRST BATTLE OF THE STORY (and it only took nine chapters to get here. (I am SOOO psyched right now…actually maybe that’s the sixth cup of coffee. WHATEVER WE’RE GONNA DO THIS. I’M GONNA WRITE LIKE I’M RUNNING OUT OF TIME CAUSE DAMN THIS DAME IS NON-STOP (three guesses what’s on my playlist).
> 
> Disclaimer: I’ll keep all my claims close to my chest. I’ll wait here and see which way the law will go. I’m biding my time watching the afterbirth of a genre watching the view count build… (da da da, da da da da)… um… I mean just refer back to chapter one please and thank you.
> 
> Last Time on Sailor Moon H: In the aftermath of Death Eaters making themselves known just beyond Hogwarts borders, The various factions of the light side met to consider the state of their missions – and The Order of the Phoenix planned their first major offensive of the year against one of the Death Eaters strongholds – Now the members of the Order’s Sailor-Wizarding Operations Squad and their friends at Hogwarts are making their way to the Irish Sea…

** The H.O.M. Fronts **

****

The Time Doors disappeared from the small town near the Welsh coastline, leaving Sailor Mars and her team behind. The three figures crouched behind a stonewall and waited: Five seconds… ten. Sailor Mars snapped her eyes open. “Saturn says they’re ready.”

To her left, Mad-Eye Moody grunted. His magical eye whipped around the dark fields around them. “Copse a trees up there has the first of ‘em... disillusioned.” His normal eye glared towards her. “Can’t you douse that spear?”

Ron Weasley, gamely standing along with them, flicked his eyes to Mars, who hadn’t taken her eyes off the trees where the first giant lay in wait. The amethyst flame on her spear was the only light, save the crescent moon, in the clear night. He wondered how well giants could see. _Pretty well if they’re using them as guards,_ he wagered.

“They won’t be on their feet long enough to alert anyone,” Mars said. “Pluto’s ready as well.”

Moody flicked his wand. The patronus that emerged from it shot off too quickly for either Gryffindor to tell its shape, though it looked positively beastly. It raced up the west coast of Wales and England, to a road just south of Liverpool meeting the three other Gryffindors waiting in the bushes.

_“I can’t believe Dumbledore agreed to this,” Moody said when Sailor Pluto picked up the rest of their team from Hogwarts’ Astronomy tower. “The six of them, sure, but the six of you.”_

_“I’m not sure it’s the best idea,” Remus agreed._

_Harry Potter, in the middle of the group of students who’d followed the scouts to their rendezvous point bristled. “You and Sirius were fighting at our age – and Mum and Dad.”_

_“Yeah!” Ron chimed in “If we could fight at the ministry we can help now.”_

_“You and Potter fine,” Moody said. “Longbottom, you only fought well enough to put your last wand out of its misery.”_

_“And this one’s made my spells a lot better,” Neville replied, standing a little taller between Jadeite and Luna. “I can fight too.”_

_“Yeah!” Jadeite said, “he’s as good as Ron is.”_

_Moody seemed about to counter, but Sailor Pluto (lingering in the swirls of fog behind the scouts and the other Order members) spoke up. “Mr. Longbottom will do fine. In fact, he may be an asset tonight.”_

Moody’s patronus was a hippogriff, one who looked just as imposing as its castor as it glared down Neville, Sailor Moon, and Venus on the roadside south of Liverpool. “We’re ready – _CONSTANT VIGILANCE_!” This last, though a whisper, was still biting enough that Neville and Sailor Moon jumped. Venus shook her head.

“He uses that phrase like a punctuation mark,” she muttered. “Right – let’s go.” They headed towards the trees that bordered the road ahead. _Hominem Revelio_ had detected least three giants lingered at different distances within the un-encroached strip of forest. All they needed to do was take down one, like Moody’s team and Mercury’s team across the channel: Just enough to be sure their shield would go down.

Venus mentally kicked herself that her own team did not have a psychic amongst them, and that Mercury’s team was all the way across the sea.

 _They’ll be fine. Mercury’s as good a tactician as you are. They’ve got Saturn._ She relaxed her grip on the blackthorn handle of her whip as she led her trio forwards. She stopped after a few minutes of walking and nodded to Neville.

“ _Hominem Revelio_ ” he whispered as he had when they’d emerged from the time doors and onto the road.

The first of the looming orange figures that was illuminated within the trees was now within striking distance, and its head was turned towards them.

“Sailor Moon,” Venus whispered.

To her left, the Moon Sceptre was already spinning.

“You’ve got it!”

Across the Irish Sea, _Hominem Revelio_ wasn’t needed to detect their giant foes. The Mercury visor and computer worked as well as ever here, so far from Hogwarts.

“They’re all up and down the coast,” Mercury said, standing slightly above the height of the jetty. “At least ten kilometres”

She scanned down the cliffs again, against which the invisible giants were pressed. There was something different about one of them… “That one’s the leader.”

“The Grog” Hermione Granger answered.

“Does that mean if we take him down the others will abandon ship?” Jupiter asked, cracking her knuckles.

“Doubtful,” Luna Lovegood pondered. “But they might all break formation… either to avenge the leader or to determine a new one.”

“Somehow I think it’ll be the first one,” Jadeite said. They stood up to look over the top of the jetty alongside Mercury. “They’re all spaced out right? How many can we hit at once?”

“Hmmm…” Mercury narrowed her eyes behind the visor, which was lit up with enough lines and numbers to make Harry Potter’s head spin. He noticed Hermione watching with rapt attention and wondered if _she_ were making any sense of the readings. Mercury turned to Jupiter and looked at her through the lit-up visor. “The Grog is there,” she said, pointing down the thin strip of beach towards a point along the high cliffs. “That place where the rock juts out.”

“Want me to hit him now?” Jupiter asked; the lightning rod was extending from her tiara.

Mercury held up her hand. Her blue, alder-wood staff (capped by the bronze eagle) appeared in the air. She held it as surely as she would the wand in its untransformed state. “Give me a moment.” She directed it towards the still water of the sea. “ _Mercury!”_ she called. “ _Aqua Rhapsody!”_

The notes of a harp filled the air as the staff glowed an icy blue – just like the water in the sea as it was drawn together in a wave, rising up sixteen feet and crashing against the cliffs all along the shore. All of them heard the giants roar: strong enough to send stones cleaving away from the cliff faces.

Jupiter summoned her hammer, swinging it outwards in the direction of Mercury’s staff. At her call, lightning struck her tiara, making Harry and Hermione scramble back. The lightning shot out of Jupiter’s hammer and struck the soaked cliff that still jutted out into the sea. Branches of the energy raced through the cold seawater, electrocuting not just the Grog, but six of his clan-mates. Their disillusionment fell as they stumbled out into the surf. One fell face first in the water. Another two fell over themselves and keeled over in the sand.

But the fifth and sixth giants recovered, baring their teeth and raising their giant axes and halberds. They stepped on the backs of their fallen comrades, charging towards the Hogwarts students. One of them, with a gleaming metal helmet protecting its head, raised its axe and roared.

“I think that’s the Grog,” Hermione said.

The ground began to shake. Harry turned around as Mercury transfigured stone steps up one of the cliffs, providing the seven of them an escape. He saw sand bursting into the air all down the beach – and bursts of seawater too as disillusioned giants stormed towards their position.

“Come on!” Mercury said, leading the way up the beach towards her transfigured staircase. Harry lingered at the back with Jadeite. The invisible giants were a ways off still. The Grog and its companion (who was waving a halberd) were close enough that he could see their pupils. Their crashing footsteps were causing all the stone in the cliffs around them to tumble down in a small avalanche.

“Hermione!” Harry shouted up to her. “The rocks – remember the troll!”

Hermione stopped near the top of the stairs, biting her lip. She whipped her wand up and to the side. Harry couldn’t tell if she spoke or not. Her _Wingardium Leviosa_ was as fast as it had ever been, catching three medium sized rocks and flinging them at the giants. But the projectiles were too slow, easily batted away.

“Levitate one in front of me!” Harry shouted, raising his wand.

Hermione cast the spell again, catching a large boulder that had fallen onto the beach. Harry stood still in the middle of the rock staircase, Jadeite a few steps above him. He adjusted his glasses and trained his wand on the floating boulder.

 _“I tell yah if I ever had a good thing to say for my mother, it’s that we were learning latin from the time we could speak,”_ Sirius had told him over the summer when Harry’d found his old practice book in the library. _“Your dad learnt it too. Course he went to one of those charm schools my mother absolutely despised. Came in handy a couple times – like when we ran into that giant Acromantula one of the full moon nights. You ever needed a spell modification, James could do it. And boy did we need it then. See, one of the bloody bugs had Peter strung up by his tail and I was about to be either Spider food or Moony food, just couldn’t decide which way I’d rather go. We were pretty handy with the punching hex, see, but that’s worth squat when all that's around you are boulders and trees. I admit I’d resorted to stinging hexs. James was the only one with the brains to save our arses. Brilliant spell too…”_

 _“Oppugno Maxima Celeritate!”_ Harry shouted, stumbling from the force of the spell. The magic whistled as it sped straight into the boulder Hermione had levitated, punching clean through the middle. Five large chunks spewed out the other side, straight at the two remaining giants. It pierced the Grog through the eye. The twenty-foot enemy grunted once, dropped its axe, and toppled over into the sea. The second deflected two stones with its halberd, but the fourth struck it in the hand, the fifth in the groin. It roared and stumbled, falling towards the cliffs.

“Harry!” Jadeite shouted. They grabbed Harry’s hand and dragged him up the rest of the stairs faster than he could have run himself. They both felt the moment the giant’s body hit the cliffs as the step under their feet cracked, those below it crumbling along with sheets of solid rock all up and down the coast. They reached the top of the cliffs and kept running across the cracking ground until they met Mercury, Jupiter, Luna, and Hermione at the edge of a forest. Behind them, ten feet of land including a road had followed the avalanche and collapsed down into the Irish Sea.

When the sounds of cleaving and crashing had faded, all that remained were the roars of their enemies.

“They’re coming to us,” Mercury said, eyes trained on her computer.

“They’ll be more aggressive,” Hermione warned. “They’ll want to prove one of them is the most powerful – to replace their Grog.”

“Too much to hope they’ll attack each other and not us?” Harry asked, he scanned around, a ways off the trees were rustling – signalling the approach of their still invisible foes.

And out at sea, mist was rising off the frigid water, rising up into a dense, grey fog.

“It’s starting,” Jadeite whispered

~ _SMH_ ~

Pluto’s team exited the time doors once the three teams had broken the giants’ defensive formation. The doors swung open onto scant shore at the base of the false island amid booms of thunder echoing from the Irish side of the sea.

“That will attract attention before long,” Pluto said. “Let’s get moving.”

The narrow shore they stood on was little more than ice, surrounding what appeared to be a rock face. However, upon examining it, Rigel and Neptune determined it was little more than wood.

“Would take a lot of work to make so much stone float,” Rigel said, squinting up towards the top of the face. “It looks like there’s an apparation point up there.”

Sirius snorted. “Knew she was too prissy to sail her way across.” He scanned the tall black cliff face. “Something tells me we can’t bore our way through.”

“Or climb up,” Remus said. “Don’t touch it,” he advised them all, sniffing the air. “They’re not without their own defence.”

“As long as we can get up there and in the front door,” Tonks said, buttoning and unbuttoning one button at the chest level of her severe looking black robes. A bedraggled black cloak (which hung at her elbows) trailed behind her as she paced the threshold of the Time Doors.

“Never knew you were so concerned about your appearance,” Sirius teased.

“Shut it,” Tonks said and scowled at the button, leaving it undone at last. “Is six too many?” she asked. The unbuttoned top of the robe left quite a bit of the skin beneath showing, and revealing how Tonks had already altered her appearance. Her collarbones stood out much more prominently than they had at Grimmauld. And the robe was cinched tighter around her than her frame normally would have allowed – as though she’d sucked in a breath and never let it out. _Or like she spent twelve years in a cell,_ Uranus noted, a bit unnerved as Tonks closed her eyes and her hands became gnarled and scarred.

“Six is fine,” Sirius replied. “We’re fooling a lacky, not Voldemort.” He crossed his arms as she drew the black cloak all the way on and checked the look of the dark mark on her arm. “Though if you want not wind up in a cell with these two,” he jerked his thumb towards Rigel and Remus. “You’ll need to do a bit more to that rosy face of yours.”

Tonks smirked, “Hers isn’t exactly a face I like to wear.”

She raised her hands to her pink hair, running them through the spiked strands. Uranus shivered as first the roots and then the tips darkened to black and grey, and grew out into long, still matted locks. Tonks flipped her head, giving the new hair a more wild look, and when she brushed it out of her face her complexion had turned pale, her features gaunt. She blinked and her eyes had faded from rich brown to a pale grey. She smirked full, red lips and giggled, in a voice decidedly unlike her own.

 _“I can’t change my voice,”_ Tonks had warned them as they’d planned this. “ _But as long as I’m not speaking for long, I can do a damn good impression.”_

“Hmm…” the woman who now appeared to be Bellatrix Lestrange glared at her black nails until they’d all lengthened and narrowed into sharp points. “Nearly perfect,” she extended her right arm palm up and nodded to Sailor Neptune. “I need one more accessory.”

 _“I can’t go,”_ Sirius had snorted, “ _You think our dear cousin would ever capture me alive? I’m the only thing standing between her and head of the family.”_

_“It has to be me and Rigel,” Remus said._

_“And me,” Neptune said. “They might know what we look like, but they don’t know my other form.”_

As Neptune took Bellatrix’s hand, her arm stretched out, the fingers of her glove merged together as her body warped and shrunk, until a three foot blue-and-aqua-striped snake was twined around Bellatrix’s arm. They all raised their eyebrows as the snake looked at them. A bright aqua symbol, like a trident, was imprinted on its head, the prongs curled around its eyes.

To the west, heavier thunder boomed and continued, the sound of miles of rock crumbling into the sea.

“Let’s go,” Bellatrix said, as the snake animagus settled around her neck.

Pluto raised her Garnet Rod. The gem flashed.

All around them, fog began to curl off the water and the ice, rolling up the sheer face of the island and over the top, creating a thick cloud that shrouded the fortress above.

“The guard will remember a fog clearing charm in 65 seconds,” Sailor Pluto said.

“Then lets get us up there,” Remus said.

“Won’t he wonder why he hasn’t heard us Apparate?” Rigel asked.

Sirius and Remus smirked.

“Don’t worry,” Sirius assured him, as he helped Uranus and Pluto levitate the four of them up to the grounds of the fortress. “Mssr. Moony’s got a spell for that.”

~ _SMH_ ~

Aldebaren Aldermaston Jr., former Senior Under-Secretary in the Ministry’s Department of Sanitation shivered as a bitter cold wind tickled the hems of his black robes. He sneezed and wrenched the mask off his face. The bloody dementors made the damn heating charms useless.

The stipend he was getting from the Dark Lord’s coffers for all this full time work was not worth guarding this miserable rock from whatever dangers most certainly _couldn’t_ reach it. He’d seen the birds that got batted into the sea by those giants clubs. No broomstick was getting past that, certainly not enough of them to stage a prison break.

 _That Evercreech brat is doing this tomorrow_ , he decided. And perhaps the next time Madam Lestrange visited and was in a good mood, he’d bring up the matter with her. No one as senior and loyal to the cause as himself ought to be sharing the scut work rotations with some kid who’d barely been outa Hogwarts four months.

He shifted from foot to foot as the wind swept a dense fog over everything. It made the air seem colder still. He fumbled with his wand. Surely he could remember that defogging spell.

He jumped when he heard a soft pop from out within the fog and straightened up, casting the spell. The wisps of clouds ebbed away as three pairs of footsteps walked towards him from the apparition point. As he noted one set sounded like _heels_ the fog cleared away from the figures.

“M-madam Lestrange!” He said, bowing slightly as she prodded two prisoners up to the steps. “Wasn’t expecting you tonight.” He looked to her side. “Thought you said you were injured.”

“I’m fine!” she said coolly. Her tone gave him goosebumps. It didn’t help that she whipped a knife out of her sleeve, twirling it. She pointed it at the taller of the two men. She was smirking. “Some opportunities are better medicine than the best potions in Mungos.” She prodded the knife at the taller man. “Take this one,” she said. “He’s one of the Order’s.”

Aldermaston’s eyes widened and he cast _lumos_ to see their new prisoners better, grabbing the tall young man and hauling him up the steps by the neck of his robes. “You catch them by yourself, then?” he asked. He pointed his light at her and the other prisoner and gasped. “Wait – Lady we can’t take the likes of him!”

“ _Excuse me_!”

“Th-that’s Lupin, in’nit?” He said, holding his wand at the ready in case the werewolf decided to pounce. “I mean, he’s to go right to My Lord, isn’t he?”

Lestrange glared at him. “You think I didn’t consult our Lord about it before I brought the man before someone like you?” she giggled. Oh he hated it when she giggled. It sent shivers up his spine. “The Dark Lord’s already rewarded me.” That was when he saw the brightly colored snake coiled around her neck. It hissed. It had an aqua mark on its face. _Bloody thing’s probably poisonous!_ “Ah – right of course,” he bowed to her again, hand still holding the other prisoner’s robes. “W-will we be keeping him past the full moon then?”

“What’s the matter?” Lestrange smirked, dragging Lupin up the steps with her. “Afraid he’ll sink his teeth into you,” She chuckled harshly. “I’m counting on him to draw out that mud-blood loving cousin of mine.” She pointed her knife at the taller prisoner. “That one’s got ties to that Meioh lady.”

He grinned. “Finally!” They’d been searching for months for those others in her classes with no luck. They’d all gone to ground it seemed. And getting the Abbott brat to say anything useful had proven as hard as pulling teeth. “Maybe he’ll do more talking.” Thinking of it. “Were you wanting to have another go at Abbott tonight?” He asked as he followed Lestrange through the front doors. “Think we’re wearing him down,”

Lestrange frowned. “Just put them together.”

“Will do, he got a wand?” He asked, casting a body bind on the prisoner.

Lestrange raised her eyebrows at him. “Do you have brain?” she taunted,brandishing two wands between her fingers.

“Er…”

“Just get him processed!” she snapped, her voice sounded a bit coarse. Her eyes looked red for a moment.

 _Evercreech had better do this for the next month,_ Aldermaston thought as he took a step back. Lestrange’s new pet snake was glaring at him too. _I’d rather have Pettigrew’s assignment_ , he thought. Least the Dark Lord didn’t have her temperment.

“Yes, Lady Lestrange,” he said, remembering to salute her with his wand only as he reached the threshold of the right hand corridor. He elbowed his prisoner, who was shuffling since the conjured ropes bound his legs to the knee. “Go faster or I’ll levitate yah,” he snapped, slamming the door lest Lestrange opt to follow.

Back in the entryway, Bellatrix Lestrange’s lookalike smirked and stowed her knife. She passed one of the two wands in her left hand to Remus. “That went well.”

“And he’s taking him to Abbott,” Remus murmured.

The snake rose from Tonks shoulder, slithering down her arm. Tonks jumped and wobbled on her heels.

“Fucking hell, don’t do that.” Tonks shivered. The snake rolled her eyes.

“You’re going down then?” Remus confirmed as Tonks set the snake animagus on the ground.

The snake nodded, and darted towards the left hand corridor, disappearing into the pitch-dark halls.

“Dementors probably make keeping torches lit impossible,” Tonks muttered.

“This should hold up,” Remus said, and a green flame flared to life in his palm, brighter than _lumos_. It was enough light to see the whole, stone, low-ceilinged room.

Across from them was another set of double doors – made of metal that was frosted over entirely with ice. Tonks and Remus approached them together, the only sound the heavy _clack_ of Tonks heels against the stone floors.

Hopefully, Remus thought, she would not to interact with many more of the guards up close. “Can you hold that disguise much longer?”

Tonks snorted (a decidedly unnerving sound coming from Bellatrix Lestrange’s face). “Puh-lease.” She put her hand to the iron door handle and nodded to him. “Hear anything?”

“Two guards pacing the hall,” he said. “Sounds like there are stairs not too far beyond.”

“Guess we’re going up then,” she said. “On three.”

“One, two.”

“Three,” they said together, and threw the doors open wide, striding in-step into the depths of the prison.

~ _SMH_ ~

“Move it,” the Death Eater said behind Rigel Fawcett, the man’s patronus, a large cat, ran around Rigel’s heels. _His name’s_ _Aldermaston,_ the Ravenclaw alum thought. He remembered him by his nose; he’d seen his face in the paper a month prior in a resignation notice. They kept all those, tacked up on the _suspicious_ board. The flow of Ministry officials slipping out of the more menial office jobs had increased from a trickle to a steady stream in the last month. _Not an auror,_ Rigel recalled, which served him well. He carefully slid his wand out of his sleeve in the dark hall. His arms, bound in front of him, were out of Aldermaston’s sight.

 _“These may not be seasoned dark wizards,”_ Moody had warned them the night prior. “ _But some of ‘em are, and some of ‘em are itching to be.”_ His magical eye had seemed to stare right through Rigel’s scrawny frame. “ _We made exceptions in the Auror office in the last war, and I’m going to tell you the same thing I told my trainees.”_

When they were halfway to the end of the corridor, and no other guards had appeared, Rigel pretended to stumble. He turned just enough to aim the tip of his wand at Aldermaston.

“ _Death Eaters don’t hesitate. Don’t you either.”_

 _“Imperio,”_ Rigel whispered. He shivered as Aldermaston froze. The man’s eyes glazed over. His patronus gave a silent yowl before it vanished on an unseen breeze. It left the hallway pitch dark.

Rigel took a breath. “Undo the body bind, please,” he whispered, and Aldermaston raised his wand. The ropes around Rigel’s arms and legs disappeared. He stood up straighter, keeping his wand on Aldermaston.

 _“You mean like… unforgivables?”_ His reply to Moody last night had been barely a squeak.

Moody had fixed him with an even more intense stare. “ _You do what you need to do, boy.”_

Rigel took a steadying breath. “Cast _Lumos_ ,” Rigel said.

Aldermaston did. He had a pot-belly, now that Rigel could see well again, and looked the same age as his father.

_“At some point or another, we all get our hands dirty.”_

“Take me to Timothy Abbott,” Rigel told his captor-turned-captive.

Aldermaston nodded heavily and moved forwards.

“Wait,” Rigel said. The Death Eater stopped short, nearly tripping. Rigel gulped. “Give me your wand,” he told him.

The Death Eater did, as casually as a friend would have tossed him a sickle. Rigel took the wand in a shaking hand. It still glowed just enough to see a few feet down the hall.

“Right, keep going,” he said, and followed the Death Eater further into the prison.

~ _SMH_ ~

The fortress was still covered in plenty of fog, masking the three people and the Time Doors that now stood on level with the grounds. Uranus gaze was turned upwards, tracking the black shadows that occasionally ghosted past.

“How long before they realize we’re not the guards,” she asked, glancing down at Sirius who had taken his animagus form as soon as they’d set foot on the level of the building. She didn’t blame him. Even this far away, she could feel the influence of so many dementors: The roars and booms echoing from the battles on both sides of the sea had begun to sound very much like the sounds of exploding helicopters, or like Pharoah 90 when he’d at last been set free… And the memories the sounds dredged up brought with them the same despair that had filled her back then. Uranus clenched her hands tighter around her swords. A patronus would be easily spotted through the fog. She could outlast the stupid things. “They should be inside for a half hour,” Pluto whispered beside her. “I believe we have ten minutes before we’re spotted.” She looked at the garnet gem on her staff. “Assuming Lestrange is still out of action from Mars’ arrow, Friday evening.”

“I think you can trust Mars aim on that,” Uranus assured her. “This will go exactly like you’re predicting.”

“Even so,” Pluto trained her eyes back on the building. “If she cannot be here to respond to our threat, I don’t need to see her to know she will have left something in her steed. And I believe we will be unfortunate enough to discover what that is,” she looked to Uranus and to the black dog standing with his hackles raised beside them. “Be ready.”

They were, eight minutes later, when Sirius growled and whirled round at the same time Uranus heard something odd from behind them: a large splash.

Uranus put herself in front of the others. “Black – keep an eye on the building.”

The dog animagus barked, his ears perked up now just like the fur on his back. Uranus nodded to Pluto.

“Think we can vanish your fog now.”

“I believe so,” Pluto said. She raised the garnet rod high, it flashed.

The fog covering the Irish Sea seeped back into the water and the ice, revealing as many as ten giants wadding towards them.

“Was wondering when they’d wake up,” Uranus muttered as she began to spin her swords.

~ _SMH_ ~

“ _Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!”_

The rainbow of power beamed down from above and connected solidly with the Halberd wielded by the second Giant they’d encountered. It must have been charmed somehow, because the attack only melted half of the blade. And the giant was able to reflect it back at her. Sailor Moon dove out of the way, soaring over the trees.

She could see fire in the south. And at least one visible giant lumbering through it. Sailor Moon bit her lip. She’d hoped when Hermione said these were fire resistant that might not include Mars.

 _I’ll get down there soon,_ Sailor Moon decided. She heard a whistle below her and dodged left, avoiding an arrow with a shaft as wide as her torso. She glared downwards. Whichever giant had shot it was invisible. All of them it seemed, were invisible. Venus was having some luck cancelling the charm with the love whip, but she could only manage one at a time.

“Sailor Moon!” Venus shouted up to her just before she heard another whistle of metal cutting through air – from the opposite direction. She folded her wings in, dropping towards the trees. Another whistle. _How many of them have arrows!_ She turned around.

There were another two projectiles arcing down towards her – fast. Whether she banked right or left they’d still catch her. And the treeline had to be close at her back. Sailor Moon brought her sceptre up, ready to cast.

“ _Protego_!” she shouted. A white shield sprang up in front of her, blocking both projectiles. But the giant arrows slammed into it with such force as to increase the speed of her descent. She crashed through the top layer of trees then vanished her shield just in time to reach up and grab one of the branches. She jerked to a halt.

“Phew.” Sailor Moon sighed.

Then the branch snapped.

“ _Molliare!”_ two voices called below her. She heard a whip crack.

And landed softly on the ground, caught by two cushioning charms.

“What happened?” Venus asked, stepping forwards and offering Sailor Moon her hand.

“Some of them have arrows,” Sailor Moon said. “Like – ah!”

“ _Protego!”_ Neville Longbottom’s shield formed right over their heads and he grunted as the arrow glanced off it with a _clang_. It ricocheted into the trunk of an oak tree, piercing it all the way through.

“Like that,” Sailor Moon said, turning all around.

Venus heard still more whistles above and grabbed both of them by the arms. “Come on,” she said, running southwards. “They’re aiming for our –” there was a thud and a rumble behind them as another arrow pierced the ground, then several crashes as snapped branches fell around it.

Sailor Moon was able to match Venus’ pace easily. Neville, she half carried. Though for all he wasn’t up to running, his aim was ever steady. He cast _hominem revelio_ over the approaching trees twice more, showing them another silhouette twenty feet ahead. Venus noted this one looked to be holding one of the long bows.

They dropped down into the cover of a dried up stream, still muddy from the last rain shower that had flooded it. Large tree roots poked through the dirt all around them.

“We’ve got to get more than one visible at a time,” Venus said. “And – _Protego! Depulso!”_ Her shield was stronger than Neville’s, and the banishing charm she threw in with it halted the fast-moving arrow in its tracks. It thudded harmlessly into the dirt nearby.

“And get the arrows before we get skewered.” Sailor Moon wrinkled her nose. “Giant Shish Kebab – not the way I wanna go.”

“But _hominem revelio_ only works for a few seconds,” Neville whispered. “And _Finite Incantatem_ … you have to have a target.” He frowned. “Or a way to hit them all at once.”

“Even the power of love can’t cut through all these trees,” Venus scowled. “Could have Mars burn them all,” she mused, lifting her communicator.

“Wait!” Neville said.

“ _Protego!”_ Sailor Moon shielded them this time, as two more arrows closed in. Venus briefly stood up from the riverbed and cracked the whip in a circle.

Her _hominem revelio_ unveiled the orange silouhettes of the three nearest giants, all turned towards them, though none of them appeared to be approaching. Venus groaned.

“Something tells me their eyesight’s been enhanced somehow,” she said. “They’re looking right at us.”

“We need to make them visible,” Neville muttered. “And distract them.” He tapped his forehead.

“Should have asked what spell Mcgonagall used against the Erklings last year,” Venus whispered. “The way Harry tells it, that was plenty distracting.”

“I know it,” Neville said. “Sprout showed me – she uses it in the greenhouse when she’s re-potting.” He looked at the wand in his hand. “I couldn’t do it with Dad’s wand.”

“You couldn’t cast a decent stunner with that wand,” Venus snapped back. “Can you link a _finite_ to it?”

“I’ve – I’ve.” Neville brought his wand up alongside Moon’s sceptre and Venus whip as all three of them cast _Protego_ in tandem. The next arrows that met their shields shattered. “Never linked a spell before,” Neville looked at his wand.

“You can do a lot of things you couldn’t before,” Sailor Moon pointed out. She squeezed his shoulder. “Come on – you didn’t think Transfiguration would go well either but you keep doing well in class.” She gave him a lopsided grin “Or I guess – you’re doing better than me.”

Neville nodded. He closed his eyes and turned towards the roots that jutted out of the riverbed behind them.

And flinched as Venus deflected another arrow off a shield.

“Sorry,” he said. “It’s complicated.”

He tried again, taking a deep breath. These trees were a lot larger than anything in the greenhouse, and he was no Mcgonagall.

But the cherry wand felt as warm as it ever had in his hand, nearly as warm as Sailor Moon’s hand on his shoulder.

He tapped his wand against a gnarled tree root.

“ _Dunsinaine.”_

Sailor Moon and Venus gasped as a white pulse of light raced through the root and up into the tree. The whole evergreen shivered, and the root flexed, lifting out of the dirt,

And so too did the tree trunk it was attached too, and through the forest, every tree that they could see, whose roots touched each other’s, began to move. The forest shook as old-growth trees pushed themselves out of the ground.

And giants to the west and south roared as the roots wrapped round their ankles. They saw a tree trunk twenty yards ahead go flying, and two more constrict their roots and branches around the invisible foe.

Neville’s wand still touched the original root, and his mouth was gaping.

“Neville! Link the spells!” Venus shouted.

This time he didn’t second-guess. His _finite incantatem_ travelled through the enchanted trees.

And eleven giants became visible across the dancing forest. They watched as one had its long bow wrenched from its fist by two sturdy evergreens.

“Alright!” Sailor Moon clapped Neville on the shoulder and then took to the air, sceptre raised. “See how well you dodge now!” she taunted.

“Come on!” Venus said. She leapt out of the riverbed and beckoned to him. “Those won’t distract ‘em for long.”

Neville tripped on the shaft of an arrow as he clambered out, now also covered in mud. He turned around twice just to look at all the trees – moving thanks to his spell.

 _I did that,_ he marvelled, looking at his wand with knew eyes. _Did Ollivander give me the Elder Wand by mistake?_

“Neville!” Venus whip wrapped around his waist, jerking him forwards, as a broken tree trunk crashed into the place he’d been standing. “Keep your head.”

“R-right!” he gasped, doing his best to keep pace with her as they followed Sailor Moon’s path southwards.

Venus opened her communicator. “Mars, Mercury: Status.”

“ _Three down,”_ Mars reported. “ _Fire gets them just fine if you shoot them in the eye.”_

“Noted.” Venus waited, used the whip to topple an advancing Giant under its own weight, and then spoke into the communicator again. “Mercury?”

There was static on the other side, then a crash. Finally: _“Fine!”_ Mercury shouted. “ _Busy.”_

Venus frowned, turning to the west towards the sounds of thunder and fighting that echoed across the sea.

Mercury’s busy did not mean it was going badly… But Mercury’s version of busy was decidedly not _good_.

Mars answered again: “ _Saturn says they’re handling it,”_ the psychic told her. _“They’re plan’s going… a little too well.”_

Venus eyes narrowed as she noted the black and purple lightning dome of a _Silence Wall_ reflecting off the dense clouds. As she watched, the light from it flickered.

“Let’s finish off this side ASAP,” she said. Just then the _Silence Wall_ faded and another color lit up the underside of the clouds: large plumes of brilliant orange…

~ _SMH_ ~

 _Dunsinaine,_ it seemed, was a spell known to more than just the professors at Hogwarts. Indeed, a copy of the spell had been had left in the basement of the original Wizarding manor that had used it as a defence. Furthermore, its creator had bound the spell into a necklace, so that even a lord as weak as a Squib could still manage to raise an adequate army.

The backstory of the spell mattered little to the group of senshi and Hogwarts students currently battling thirteen giants a kilometre from the Irish coast. What mattered to them was that at some point, that manor had made its way into Death Eater hands, and so too it seemed, had the necklace.

“That one’s controlling the trees!” Mercury called, her visor at last isolating the magical item that had turned ever plant larger than a shrub against them. The quartz necklace thumped against the chest of the giant who wore it, as he brought his mace down on the _Silence Wall_ for the fourth time, in tandem with three others. Saturn winced, the heels of her boots dug further into the sandy ground.

“ _Jupiter Coconut Cyclone!”_ Jupiter conjured the ball of green energy and _thwacked_ it hard with her hammer, it raced around the inside of the _Silence Wall_ , splitting the plants that had burst through the ground in two. More rose up instantly to take their place.

And the earth beneath their feet rumbled and cracked, a rift splitting right between Luna Lovegood’s and Jadeite’s feet. Jadeite stabbed their sword into the crack in the ground.

 _“Jadeite Noble Flame!”_ their bright, red fire surged into the roots that were shooting from the ground. The attack travelled outside the shield, Hermione noted, catching and burning up several of the plants beyond, and tripping two giants who did not expect the sudden heat under the soles of their feet. “More of that!” Hermione shouted to Harry and Luna. Three _incendios_ shot from their wands in unison. Harry’s and hers followed Jadeite’s into the ground. Luna’s burnt up the branches that had sprouted up behind Mercury. But their attacks did not reach nearly as far as Jadeite’s. They did not even travel outside the bounds of the _Silence Wall._

Then the giant with the necklace roared. The quartz crystal in the necklace flashed. All the plants attacking them glowed blue.

“That looked like a fireproof charm!” Luna shouted, and was right: Jadeite’s next attack did little more than char the new roots bursting out of the ground. One they’d tried to burn stiffened to a point and would have stabbed them through the gut had Harry Potter not hacked it in two with a fast cutting charm.

“Thanks,” Jadeite gasped, moving their sword back into a block position.

They were all back to back now, around Saturn who looked increasingly worn from the unrelenting barrage of axes, maces, and one flail against her shield.

“I can’t hold it much longer,” she grimaced; the next volley of blows made her knees buckle.

“I could freeze the plants,” Mercury said. “But the giants would shatter right through them.

“Cover enough of them with water and I’ll see how much electricity they can stand,” Jupiter said.

“But that might affect us as well,” Jadeite added.

“Decide _something_!” Saturn snapped.

“If we could beat the fireproofing we could take out the plants.” Mercury said, speaking rapid-fire. “That might distract them long enough for us to get an opening. We take out the one with that necklace and this fight will be much fairer.”

“How do we beat fireproofing?” Harry shouted.

Mercury bit her lip.

“Um,” Hermione squeaked. She raised her hand too, Harry noted, as if they were still in the classroom. “There’s something.”

“Anything.”

“But…” she looked at Harry. “It’s a dark spell.”

“You save our arses from giants Hermione, I swear I’ll tell everyone you did it with a cheering charm,” said Harry.

“If the aurors can use that stuff, so can we,” Jadeite added.

Hermione still looked unsure. “Its – oh its incredibly stupid.”

“You’ve never thought a stupid thing in your life, Hermione,” Harry said, slashing through a wall of roots that had just tried to encircle them. “You’re not about to start now.

Hermione nodded. “Right.” She looked at Saturn. “Let down the wall on three.”

“Fine,” Saturn squeaked.

“Aim away from the giant with the necklace,” Mercury said, “We’ll run towards him.”

“On my count!” Harry said, nodding to Jadeite. Both of them stepped up to Saturn’s side, prepared to help her run if she faltered. “One, Two, Three.”

Saturn gasped. The wall vanished as she jerked the glaive down. Harry and Jadeite hustled her forwards, running behind Jupiter and ahead of Luna. Mercury remained back with Hermione and watched as she pointed her wand at the largest of the roots, holding it in both trembling hands.

All of them heard her shout.

“ _Fiendfyre.”_

_~SMH~_

“ _Expecto Patronem_!” The great, canine spectre beat the dementor back as the witch and wizard advanced down the hall. Remus Lupin’s patronus had always been exceptional and had only improved in the past year of extra practice. While he dealt with the dementor, Tonks deftly, stunned, silenced and disillusioned two more death eaters who had just raced around the corner. She jerked her wand up, sticking both of them to the ceiling. She still wore the disguise of Bellatrix Lestrange, which had garnered her precious seconds in their past three hostile encounters. Only one thing differed from when she’d entered the building: she’d ditched her high heels on the second floor landing.

The prison, they believed, was five stories high. They’d been found out heading up to the third floor. A dementor had sounded the alarm, recognizing nothing of Bellatrix in Tonks’ thoughts.

Remus ears could easily recognize the sounds behind the wood doors that lined the hall: the kinds of cries and half-mad murmurs that still plagued many of Sirius’ nightmares. “This hall has prisoners.”

Ideally they’d have stayed and ushered those captives outside.

But they had two floors to go, and if Pluto’s guess held true, precious little time.

Tonks pointed her wand at the ceiling of the hall, casting six silent disarming charms at the spots she’d stuck her disillusioned Death Eaters. Remus raised his eyebrows as each spell hit the exact spot she’d stuck them and wondered if she didn’t have a magical eye like her mentor’s.

And as he thought that, Remus waved his own wand in a wide arc, and voiced a different spell. “ _Termites Maxima.”_

The walls might have been made of stone, but the doors of the cells were wood. And while they were fireproofed and no good to an _alohomora_ , he had found one thing Bellatrix had not thought to guard against.

The spell immediately began to eat away at the wood of the twenty cell doors, chipping them away from the bottom up, until the handles, locks, and hinges all clattered on the stone floor.

Six wands. Twenty prisoners. Hopefully, that many had enough sense to lead this group down to the ground floor.

“Behind you!” Tonks snapped. And he cast another Patronus charm, the teeth of the animal bit into the dementor that rose out of the floor. It retreated back down the hall, towards the east wing – towards Rigel Fawcett.

“They run scared quick,” Tonks murmured, as she scanned around for the next staircase up, stunning another death eater in the process. _If only I could be official about this_ , she thought, _definitely worth more than rookie pay_.

They hustled to the fifth floor, seeing only six more dementors on the journey, though Michiru’d said yesterday the island was surrounded by as many as thirty.

The whole fifth floor was comprised of thirty empty cells and five with half-blood wizards who’d been captured last week. There was no hint of where any of the prisoners wands were. “Damnit,” Remus said as they checked the final door. “If Neptune or Rigel doesn’t find them, then they’re being stored somewhere else.”

“Who would use them?” Tonks wondered, “given they have their own wandmaker… unless someone else has rescued him.”

Remus hoped someone had, for they’d found many missing persons inside these walls – even Florean Fortescue – but not a sign of Garrick Ollivander.

Having checked the final cell, Tonks dropped her disguise and looked down at her feet, she’d put a warming charm on them once they’d gotten uncomfortable running across the chilled stones. _And yet…_ She knelt and touched her hand to the floor. “If the dementors have all run scared,” she asked. “Why’s the floor getting colder?”

Remus scanned around by the green fire still burning in his palm. “Might not be a dementor,” he murmured. “Or they could be concentrating somewhere below…” His ears picked up several screams on the lower floors. “Let’s double back,” he decided. “Make sure everyone’s left the cells… find…” he frowned.

“Fawcett or Neptune?” Tonks wondered with him.

Remus closed his eyes, concentrating.

Dementors didn’t have a smell _exactly,_ but the cold they left behind them did. The wolf in him found it especially irritating: decidedly _different_ from a normal winter chill.

The trail left by the dementor who’d just run showed it had raced off in the direction Rigel’d gone in when they’d entered, but the highest concentrations of the cold were headed down further below. Even now, Remus noted, the dementor who’d just run was turning around, the trail of cold that it left behind it headed ever downwards.

“Check that everyone’s got out,” Remus said, “And head for Neptune.”

Tonks nodded and matched his sprint as they left emptied fifth floor.

~ _SMH_ ~

Two levels below the ground floor, it didn’t take the touch of a hand or the nose of a werewolf for Neptune to notice the change in temperature. The stone and then wood that made up the sub-levels of the island had turned to ice several corridors ago, as dementor after dementor raced ahead of her.

They hadn’t glanced twice at the snake slithering quickly along the floor, and she inwardly smirked. It made it worth the frost gathering on her scales.

_Thank goodness I’m not quite as cold blooded as a normal snake._

_Just be careful,_ Pluto reminded her, mental voice strained. Neptune took it that the giants above were proving hard to blast through.

 _I’ll be careful,_ Neptune told her. _I haven’t forgotten_.

The Mirror had said there was someone down here, when she’d asked if there was anything important she should find.

“ _And if they are important they’ll almost certainly be guarded,”_ Uranus had cautioned her before the missioned started.

Pluto’d emphatically agreed. “ _Lestrange has designed the entire island. If there’s a danger down there, I won’t know about it.”_

“ _I’m still investigating myself,”_ she’d said. “ _You know I’ve the best chance to face whatever danger she’s put there and live._

She sensed there was an illusion up ahead, and saw a dementor turn not through the door at the end of the corridor, but straight through the wooden wall. She followed it through the false barrier and hissed as she slipped down two narrow, iced over steps. _“Neptune Planet Power,”_ she thought. The trident over her face lit up the pitch darkness. Even that went unnoticed by the dementors who had led her down here.

They were not subtle creatures, they led her right to their quarry: for nearly twenty hovered around and inside of one unremarkable, wooden door. She darted beneath the frame, warped by the extreme cold.

Inside, one final prisoner cowered in the middle of the cell. His thin, blue fingers clutched his dirty, golden robes as close as possible.

He jerked his head up as the light from her planet’s sigil filled the cell. His brown eyes widened. He raked matted, bleached hair out of his eyes and spoke through chattering teeth.

“Anata wa Sera Senshi desu.”

The upper half of her body reeled back. She hissed. It took her a few extra moments to gather her happiest thoughts close. Once she had, she transformed. The dragon patronus burst, roaring, from her trident even before she was fully human again. And the patronus coiled around the edges of the cell, its blazing light had no trouble keeping the dementors back.

Neptune directed her attention to the man on the floor. She helped him to his feet, noting that his skin was incredibly frostbitten, yet he kept a strong grip on her arms with his bony fingers.

“S-s-sera Neptune-s-sama!”

~ _SMH_ ~

Rigel held fast to the Aldermaston’s arm as the imperioed man led them both down the stairs. His guide wasn’t the steadiest on his feet, especially not with the ice.

“How much further?” Rigel asked.

“Three doors down,” Aldermaston said in a neutral tone.

Rigel took an unsteady breath. “Almost there.”

It had been a long walk. They’d stopped at every door along the way. Aldermaston using a single, bronze skeleton key each time. It did not even chime as he moved: for he held the key stiffly in his equally stiff arm, further proof that he currently couldn’t move without Rigel’s order.

They’d slipped by every dementor and several other death eaters on the trek by Rigel simply hiding his wand and requesting Aldermaston grab his arm. Even this close to his goal, Rigel kept looking over his shoulder. It all seemed too easy.

At last Aldermaston stopped at the proper door. And waited.

“Open it,” Rigel ordered, just as unnerved to watch the man follow through as he had been fifteen minutes ago when they’d begun their walk.

And then the wood door creaked and swung inwards, revealing the wizard passed out in the corner of the cell.

“Abbott!” Rigel pushing past Aldermaston and grabbed Timothy by the shoulders, he gritted his teeth. “How are you this heavy?” he seethed. His boots slipped on the floor, but he did manage, with some effort, to drag Abbott outside. He prepared to cast _renneverate_ and stopped midway through waving his wand.

He was still actively using it to maintain the Imperius curse.

Rigel turned to Aldermaston (whose wand he’d tucked in his pocket when the _lumos_ had faded one floor ago). “Give me the key,” he told him. “And go inside.”

Aldermaston stretched his stiff arm out, and dropped the keys into Rigel’s palm. Then he turned sharply around, marching inside the cell and standing stock still in the center.

Rigel slammed and locked the door as quickly as he could, and dropped the Imperius. He stepped back from the door as the man inside came to his senses, cussing and shouting.

“Your lot ain’t supposed to _do_ that!” Aldermaston’s voice cracked.

Rigel Fawcett walked across the hall, braced his arms on the cold wall, and threw up.

“You gonna leave me for the dementors!”

“No,” Rigel whispered, though Aldermaston wasn’t listeoning. He’d begun to shout for his friends. “No, I’m leaving you for the aurors.” He wiped his mouth and moved back to Timothy Abbott’s side. “We’ll send them around soon.” His hand shook as he cast renneverate over Tim, but it worked none the less. His former classmate gasped and scrambled off the stone floor. Rigel thrusts the Death Eater’s wand at him. “Here.”

“What’s happening? Who’re you?” Abbott asked.

Rigel could barely see Abbott in the dark. He flushed. “Sorry,” and waved his wand. It was three tries before he could get his patronus to appear anything like his usual, sleek mongoose. Once he had, the spectral animal hoped up on his shoulders. The warmth was comforting.

“Fawcett?” Abbott realized, blinking rapidly to adjust to the light. “What?”

“OI!” Aldermaston hollered. “THERE’S A DAMN PRISON BREAK!”  
“ _Silencio_ ,” Fawcett muttered and the hallway was briefly as soundless as an empty graveyard.

Then in the absence of the shouting, Rigel heard echoes from above, dozens if not more pounding footsteps. He hoped it was other prisoners.

“Come on,” he said to Abbott, pushing Aldermaston’s wand towards him. “Take it.” Not that he thought Abbott would be much help, but Rigel was absolutely sure he never wanted to hold that wand again, much less command it. His stomach rolled at the mere thought.

“Is that Lestrange?” Abbott asked, eyes darting back and forth across the ceiling to track each new sound.

“No,” Rigel said. _I hope not_. He grabbed Abbott’s arm and dragged him back the way they’d come. “Hurry up!”

They stopped a few times along the way to hustle along others whose cell doors Rigel had opened on the way down. Casting cheering charms got them moving the fastest, and as they moved towards the stairs that lead to the main floor, Timothy was even able to help with those.

But, Rigel noted, they hadn’t met a single dementor on the way up either.

By the time they reached the main floor, Tim and four others were jogging with them down the corridor, and all of them skidded into the main hall, where a steady stream of people were shuffling, sprinting, and scrambling out of the double doors on their right, they were making a large crowd at the exit. But none of the liberated prisoners were coming from the corridor across the hall.

“What’s down there?” Rigel asked.

“I don’t know!” Timothy said. “Wasn’t given a tour – Hey! Fawcett!”

Rigel had elbowed his way through the crowd at entryway, until he could see the empty western corridor clearly. It was freshly iced over. The mongoose patronus on his shoulder seemed to react with him: it let out a silent hiss and dug its claws into his robes.

“Wait – are those giants outside!”

He looked out the doors, standing on his toes to see over the crowds that were amassing near the exit. There were giants outside and several Death Eaters. But the giants were being held back by a bright pink shield that Sailor Pluto had conjured with her staff. And Sailor Uranus was keeping the death eaters at bay with cyclones from her swords. Left in the space defended by the two of them were the Time Doors: wide open, waiting.

“You’ll be fine!” Rigel told Abbott, pushing him towards the crowds who hesitated at the threshold of the prison. “Go outside – EVERYONE: go outside. _Yes_ ,” he shouted in response to their protests. He heard barking. “Head through those doors – just listen to the black dog.”

“That’s a Grim…” Abbott said. “I’ve… I’ve gone mental. I’ve really gone mental.”

“Well would you rather stay in here,” Rigel snapped.

Timothy cocked his head to the side and then shook it.

“Then go outside.” He gave him one more shove towards the exit and then turned back to the iced over corridor.

“Wait – wait you’re staying?”

“Yes!” Rigel called as he sprinted onwards. “Want to see what’s here!”

He didn’t hear Abbott’s reply, only the pounding of his own feet.

And, as he skidded down the icy halls, the rattling echoes of many dementors breathing somewhere below.

~ _SMH_ ~

As the liberation of the prison fortress out on the sea got underway, on the British coastline, the giants who’d provided its first line of defence had grown wise the senshi’s tricks. They had stomped through the forests and over the roads near the coastline, one bashing through a hill with a metal club rather than walk the three steps over it. Then again, it had been in a hurry at the time, running from the whip and the flying witch that had trapped most of its fellows. The vegetation had not been kind either. Periodically during the giants’ retreat whole groves of trees would drag at their heels, or cinch roots around their wrists until their weapons were hard to hold.

It hadn’t figured out which feeble, mutton-brained human was magicking the trees, but it had decided three close calls with an oak tree ago that the Grog-brained Lady Lestrange would just have to deal with it crushing these enemies itself. She could appreciate a good crushing, and it was tired of all this “reforming” business. Even those humans with good ideas like granting them back their ancestral homes had such dreadful ideas about leadership skills.

The giant roared as the rainbow blast from the flying witch turned its club to ash. Oh yes. Crushing would happen.

It was this giant among others that Venus, Moon, and Neville were trying to keep pace with as they headed south. Mad-Eye Moody had already apparated the southern team to the spot the giants would end up: the shore of a lake in Snowdonia National Park. The giants they’d been fighting were on their way here, just like those Venus’ team gave chase to.

Mars looked towards the south to check that the giants they’d apparated ahead of were still running here. The two visible ones had easily spotted brass helmets while those that remained invisible could be found by the intense rustling of the trees.

“Getting them all together will make them easier to hit,” Ron whispered. “But… Exactly how many are there left?”

“Eight,” Moody whispered. “And yes, you’d better be nervous Weasley, they’re harder to fight when they’re in a group.” He spun his wand idly in his hand. “Thankfully, We don’t need to kill them.”

“We don’t, do we?” Mars raised her eyebrow.

“Just tell your friends get them all into the water,” Moody said. “Spell I have won’t kill them – but it sure as hell gonna take ‘em outa commission. Just in time too.” And he pointed his wand off to the west. “Death Eater just apparated over onto that shore. She sees what’s going on, you can bet she’ll be right back with reinforcements.”

As Ron gulped, Mars grabbed her communicator and relayed the message to Moon and Venus. She saw the flash of Sailor Moon’s attacks in the north – _Good –_ and sent another, psychic warning to Saturn, Neptune, and Pluto: _Time’s up_.

~ _SMH_ ~

Harry Potter’d had time to cast one _reducto_ at the necklace the giants had used to control the plants before the sight of Hermione’s _Fiendfyre_ sent them scattering. The sudden lack of anything to fight had left the seven of them on the Irish side more than a little twitchy, especially once Mercury had ascertained how to manage the dark fire. Her team was now on a marsh, grouped in a circle as they scanned the whole area. And Mercury was midway through containing the raging fire to one soon-to-be-charcoaled acre of the marshland, when Saturn received Mars warning.

“Death Eaters coming!” she shouted.

Mercury tapped her visor, one hand on her staff maintaining the icy barriers that contained the _fiendfyre_. She scanned quickly around and the visor screen lit up with data. “There’s broomsticks flying at us from the north,” she said, hurrying to finish her work with the fire. Putting it out would have been best, but they’d had little luck with that – and the flames were a bright orange beacon to their approaching enemies.

“I can put up the wall again!” Saturn said.

“No,” Harry said. “We should attack them first.”

“We’re in the disadvantaged position!” Jadeite said. “Unless you brought the cloak.”

“It won’t fit seven of us,” Harry said.

“We need the disillusionment charm – hang on.” Mercury turned towards them all. “I’ve been practicing.”

It was difficult work. Hermione had been attempting to fully disillusion Crookshanks with it for weeks with little success. Mercury’d managed it before, but only just.

All of them jumped when Mercury did the spell to them. _Her_ casting felt like having ice dropped down your robes. By the time she’d finished disillusioning Jupiter and then herself, she was biting her lip to maintain her concentration. But her spell-work was sound.

They seven of them were invisible by the time the death eaters circled over their heads. “I see ten,” Mercury whispered, staring up through her visor. “They’re too high to cast _Hominem Revelio_.” One tried, she believed, when her visor detected an array of energy overhead. But no other spells were fired on their position.

Beside Mercury, Jupiter cracked her knuckles.

“Wait,” Mercury cautioned. “I can’t tell who they are.”

“What’s it matter?” Harry asked. “They’re still Death Eaters.”

“But they could be imperioed too,” Hermione whispered.

The death eaters circled lower – until the beastly flames across the marsh lashed out and bit at the bristles of their brooms. One burnt up in the air and the rider dove and grabbed the handle of the broomstick beside theirs. They could see the death eater frantically trying to shuck off their burning robes. Harry, Jadeite, and Jupiter snickered. As they did, the death eaters flew higher once more, and then dove towards the trees and the township far across the marsh.

“They’re headed back this way,” Mercury whispered to her invisible allies. Her visor was now tracking the Death Eaters every move. “Wait until you have a clear shot. Stay sharp.”

They waited together on the marsh for a few minutes, invisible to the Death Eaters and each other.

But when the Death Eaters were halfway across, Saturn gasped.

“ _Finite Incantatem!”_ she said. And they all turned towards her as she became visible once more. A green light shot across the marsh and hit her shoulder. She didn’t even flinch. Her eyes were trained back towards the coast a kilometre to the east. “Mama’s in trouble.” She said. “I’ve gotta get over there.”

“You shouldn’t go ahead alone.” Mercury said.

“ _Protego_ ,” Jadeite whispered. And a shield rose up and blocked the red spell that had been aimed at Saturn’s back.

“But we need to get there fast!” Saturn protested. “It’s dementors.”

Another two spells shot at them and Jadeite deflected both of their sword.

“I’m going ahead.” Saturn told them, and she pointed her glaive towards the sky and grabbed it with both hands. The blade carried her up as if it were her broom.

“Wait!” Harry called up to Saturn, and cast _Finite Incantetem._ He, too, became visible once more _._ And Jupiter and Jadeite blocked still more spell fire aimed at he and Saturn. “I’m going too.”

“He has the best patronus,” Hermione said.

Saturn dove down and Harry jumped on the back of the glaive, the two of them racing off towards the east, where the clear night sky had filled with heavy black clouds.

“Right,” Mercury said. “Let’s finish this.” She parried an oncoming stunner with her own spell and read the readings on her visor. “They’re in range.”

Jadeite sent _Noble Flame_ streaking across the marsh, creating a firewall that startled the death eaters. On its heels, Hermione cast another spell that liquefied the marsh mud. Mercury saw in the visor all ten figures sink down several feet.

“That won’t hold them long.” Mercury said. “We should leave them here and go ahead.” She cast _finite incantatem_ on herself and heard the others do the same.

“But we don’t have a way to cross the sea.” Hermione whispered.

Mercury lifted her hand, a ball of freezing magic appeared in her palm. “Leave that to me.”

~ _SMH_ ~

 

As Mercury dealt with death eaters on the Irish Coast and Mars team with their own problems in Wales, Pluto and Uranus tag-teamed the largest and most brutish giant who had come out of the sea. He’d stepped onto the false island, the weight of his foot smashing part of the wood-and-dirt structure into the sea. It had forced Pluto to bring down her Garnet Ball shield to assist Uranus. But the giant was one of only two left. This would be over soon.

 _And yet..._ Pluto frowned. While reinforcements were making their way to the coastlines, she foresaw none coming up to the island. _But we are destroying their operation,_ she thought. _Why wouldn’t they defend it?_ She dodged a swing of a giant’s flail and sent _Dead Scream_ racing towards it. It broke the weapon, the ball of the flail dropping into the sea. _Unless whatever defence Lestrange left in place is dangerous to them too…_

 _Neptune,_ she thought, _get out of there._

_“In a minute.”_

~ _SMH_ ~

“You’re Japanese,” Neptune said to the wizard, noticing the crest sewn onto his golden robes. “From another wizarding school.”

“Y-yes,” he said, his teeth still chattering. “As-assistant pr-professor,” he tightened his grip on her forearms. “I am sorry.”

“For what? Who are you?”

“That d-d-d-doesn’t m-matter,” he said, his eyes wide and haunted. “Sh-should have realized,” he giggled. “Sh-should have guessed-d-d the reason he k-kept asking to borrow my robes – s-s-saying he couldn’t get the p-p-potions stains out of his. Should have. Should have”

“What do you mean?” She asked.

But the man continued rambling as if she hadn’t spoken. “S-sorry. Should have known. Should have known.”

“Should have known what?” Neptune snapped.

“I sh-sh-should have known.” he muttered. “Sh-sh-should have noticed,” he rambled on. “All th-those ideas. I l-l-laughed off as jests and fantasies.”

“Who is he?” Neptune stressed, nodding to her dragon patronus. It flicked its tail, clearing a path for them back into the hallway. She dragged the half-mad man along with her. Once they’d pushed through the crowd of dementors, she asked him again. “Who is he?”

“My r-r-research partner,” the man said, the chattering of his teeth now fading. “We s-studied together all those years, earned our col-lors at the same t-time. Never once th-thought he’d turn d-dark. You know how long he fooled me?” he said, stumbling as she rushed him through the hall, her patronus racing along at their side. “I’m sorry!” he said again as she began to haul him upstairs. “I told him – I told him everything I knew. Everything – these _creatures –_ they make you see things! He could make them leave. I had to tell him. I had to! I’m sorry!”

“Tell what? To whom?” Neptune demanded through gritted teeth. Her patronus appeared to be wavering. She redoubled her efforts, thinking of memories: the first Christmas with Haruka, Hotaru’s first steps, Getting lost in Nehelenia’s nightmare realm. _That’s not a happy one_. Neptune shook her head and pushed more of her magic into the trident and her patronus. _Happy thoughts._

“Now I’ve helped him,” the man giggled as his feet slipped on the stairs. “It’s my fault. All my fault.”

“Whatever it is,” Neptune muttered, “You’re going to tell me all about it later.” _Happy thoughts: Setsuna’s return to them after she’d been lost in the battle at Mugen. Sunny summer days on the beach; her first violin solo; her first battle, fought without anyone to help – that’s not happy!_ Neptune slipped on the next stair and scrambled to maintain her patronus’ intensity. _Happy thoughts!_ They had not been hard to think of on the way down. _And…_ she looked down the stairs, most of the dementors were keeping well away from her dragon. _This shouldn’t be half so difficult,_ she chastened herself.

“I’ve doomed everyone,” the man she’d rescued was crying now. “Doomed, all doomed.”

“No one is doomed,” she snapped at him as she continued to drag him up the stairs, then through the false wall. Now on the level ground of the corridor, she raced them the short way to the next staircase before looking behind her again: the dementors were even farther back now. She waved her trident so the dragon would weave behind them as they ascended. Its form was still hazy. _What is making this so hard?_

“Doomed, doomed.”

“We are leaving the dementors behind,” she said over his words, the echoes of their voices muted by the rattles of the many dementors breath “Whatever dark thoughts are stuck in your head won’t stay there. You’re not doomed.”

“Not me – you,” he said, feet slipping as they climbed the wider stairs. She slipped as well and cursed. But there was only level left after this.

“I am not doomed,” she told him. _Why is he still so addled with the dementors at least a level below?... And why am I still feeling their effect?_

The man had resumed his constant string of mutterings. “Should have known. How long was he researching? How long did I not see… It could have been in the very beginning, he never was the best about remembering his uniform. They could have turned white while we were stu –”

 _White what?_ Neptune wondered as they reached the landing that turned into the final staircase. The dementors were far enough back now she couldn’t see them. And there were footsteps racing down from above. _It could be Death Eaters!_ she thought, suddenly full of panic. It would be difficult to cast _Deep Submerge_ and maintain the patronus.

 _“It’s Rigel,”_ Pluto assured her. “ _And Tonks and Remus. They’ll be there in two minutes.”_

 _Good!_ Neptune tightened her grip under the man’s shoulder and hauled him up a step, then another. Would they be down here forever? _No!_ she thought. _Happy thoughts._

“What turned white?” she asked the man. “What does that mean.”

“Our robes of course!” he exclaimed.

Her eyes widened. “The Wizard in White,” Neptune said. “You know him. Who is he?” She hastened her steps, noting the tail of her patronus had turned to mist again. _Happy thoughts. Happy. Thoughts._

“His name…” the man murmured. “His name’s,” he froze on the step below her and so suddenly that she nearly wrenched his arm out of the socket. He didn’t make a sound. Neptune turned, drawing her dragon closer.

“Come on,” she said, grabbing the man by the neck of his robes. But he didn’t respond. His eyes stared far past her. “Come on.” She dragged him forwards by his robes.

And fell back onto the stairs. Her fingers passed straight through the fabric. It was translucent. Neptune gaped. Staring as the golden robes disintegrated, along with the man who wore them, into ash that settled on the steps. A black cloak hovered over it.

In the man’s place, a large dementor had risen up through the floor. Its hood was drawn back, revealing its twisted, rotten mouth. It raised its hand and uncurled its fingers from around something small, crystalline, and faintly pink…

A star seed.

For a moment, Neptune could not recall whether it was the dementor or Galaxia looming over her, but that moment was all it took for her Patronus to vanish.

The dementor drew in a deep, rattling breath and sucked the star seed into its mouth. It swallowed.

As everything turned dark, she saw it turn its head down towards her.

~ _SMH~_

Mars and Ron covered Neville and Venus as they skidded down the embankment, a giant right behind them. Venus turned once she had her back to a rock and used the Love Whip to trip the seventh of the eight giants stumble into the lake. Then, above them, Sailor Moon knocked the final giant in with her own attack, and no sooner had she than Moody had launched down the steep slope towards the lakefront, dodging a large axe as he ran.

“They’re gonna flatten him!” Ron said. “Look they’re getting the rocks.” Those giants who had thrown or lost their weapons were now grabbing large stones and trees to chuck towards Mad Eye. All of them burnt or crumbled under the combined power of Mars and Moon’s magic.

Venus heard Ron squeak and walked closer to him. She clapped the gaping red head on the shoulder. “Got it covered.”

Mad Eye Moody had reached the edge of the water. And they watched him touch his wand tip to the lake. A blue light raced across the still, black water.

The giants looked confused for a moment. And so did the senshi and students. “Um,” Neville frowned. “Did that… what did that do?”

Out in the water, one of the giants yawned, then two more. The sounds made the loose pebbles on the ground shake.

Then the giants swayed. In ones and twos they crashed into the lake, creating a wave that would have crushed Mad Eye, had Venus not jerked him back with the Love Whip.

“Just in time for those Death Eaters to get here.” Moody said. “Look up.”

They did. They couldn’t see more than the five lights from _lumos_ spells approaching from across the water.

“They’re too high to do _Revelio_.” Moody said. “All of you get back under the trees – her most of all.” He said. His magical eye jerked up towards Sailor Moon. “Get her down here.”

Venus and Mars looked at each other and smirked. “Can we handle five normal sized ones?” Venus asked.

“I handle you, don’t I?” Mars said. Then together the two of them leapt into the air, getting nearly as high as Sailor Moon was flying. They each outstretched a hand.

_“Mars Snake Fire!”_

“ _Venus Love and Beauty Shock!”_

The three wizards on the ground stared as the attacks combined. “They made a flaming bludger,” Ron marvelled.

The burning orange and red ball crashed into the five broomsticks, breaking all of them in half. The Death Eaters splashed into the lake.

Venus and Mars landed on their feet atop one of the large rocks and then hopped onto the ground.

“Close your mouth Weasley,” Mad Eye Moody growled. He pointed his wand up. “What’s she doing?”

Venus and Mars frowned and looked up. Sailor Moon had not followed them down. She remained hovering in the air, face turned towards the coast.

Venus got her communicator out first. “Any trouble out there?”

“ _They look like they’re almost done with the giants… but… I have a bad feeling.”_

Venus looked to Mars. The other senshi closed her eyes for a moment and immediately snapped them back open. “Neptune’s in trouble,” she said.

“ _I’m going ahead!”_ Sailor Moon told them. She shot off over the trees, her bright form soaring towards the sea like a comet.

“We need to get out there too.” Venus said.

“And none of you can apparated can you?” Moody grumbled. All four students shook their heads. “None of you brought brooms.” He groaned when this too got a shake of their heads. “What do I keep telling you lot,” He muttered. “And apparating into a battle’s as good as killing yourself.” He glared at Ron and Neville. “You,” he said, and both boys stepped back as he reached into his heavy cloak. “Do not tell any ministry busybodies I have this.”

Ron and Neville gulped, but all Moody took out of his cloak was a heavy, rolled up bit of shabby looking fabric. He threw it up into the air and it unrolled.

“Bloody hell.” Ron gaped, watching the carpet smooth out and hover at knee height. “But they banned these.”

“And they’ve got no business telling me how I can and can’t transport myself – these hold up better than brooms. An my legs prefer em.” Moody stepped onto the flying carpet and stomped his peg leg on the fabric. “Get on.”

They did. Mars and Venus each on one knee in the front – ready to jump down into battle at a moment’s notice.

It didn’t go half as fast as a broom, Mars was annoyed to find, but it did get them moving over the pitch-black water of the sea.

The clear night was quickly growing overcast, the clouds thickest over the fortress that they could see Sailor Moon now circling around. Below her, great, silver shapes were darting through the fortress walls.

“ _Expecto Patronum,”_ Venus whispered, the spell erupting into a flurry of orange sparks that quickly formed her signature flock of birds. “Go help whoever needs you.” She told them, watching them race on ahead.

Four other voices copied her. And soon enough Mars phoenix, Ron’s terrier, Neville’s rabbit, and Mad Eye’s hippogryff were soaring ahead towards the island too.

~ _SMH_ ~

“ _Neptune! Neptune!”_

She hissed as she opened her eyes, though it was still dark now. She uncoiled, noting the frost on her tail.

“Neptune!”

That was Rigel. He sounded close. She lifted her head in the dark. Were they dead?

_No… that doesn’t make sense._

It felt like they should be. Everything felt numb and weighted, and everything in her thoughts was of a similar cast… every fight she’d ever lost had felt much the same.

“N-neptune!”

She squinted, there was light ahead, up the stairs: A weasel-like animal barring its teeth on the landing. She moved towards it. The only thing to tell her she was not dead was her heart beating double time in her ears.

 _If I am not dead then I have not lost,_ she thought.

As she moved up the icy stairs, she became aware she was slithering, moving one frozen coil at a time up towards the ground floor. And while the spectre of the mongoose cast the stairs ahead in eerie greys and blues, everything behind her was pitch black, as if it absorbed the light. She looked up.

Rigel’s patronus highlighted the black, cloaked form looming above her, the dementor which was now following her up.

 _Can it see me?_ She froze, and moved back several steps.

But this one, like the others it seemed, did not notice her animagus form. It kept moving up the stairs.

Towards Rigel.

She raced ahead, up to the landing and past the mongoose, coiling around Rigel’s boot. She hissed.

“Got it!” he said, turning and running backwards. The mongoose remained behind.

More footsteps echoed down the halls, and two figures emerged from an ajoining corridor.

“Wotcher!” Tonks shouted, a small lizard patronus at her feet. A giant canine was pacing at Remus side.

“Dementors back there!” Rigel said. “It’s – ahh!” He shouted and Neptune hissed, the sigil on her forehead glowing brightly as the rotten hand of the dementor emerged from the floor. It batted the Mongoose aside with a flick of its wrist.

Remus patronus charged at it, headbutting the dementor in the gut. But it barely moved back a few paces. And when the dementor raised its hand, the guardian spectre turned wispy.

“It can fight them?” Remus whispered.

Tonks pointed her wand down the hall. “Look there!”

Two more dementors had just risen out of the floor, smaller than the one fighting them. Others appeared too, blocking all the exits to the hallway.

“Ignore that one: Let’s get through these!” Tonks shouted, directing her small patronus towards the wall of dementors.

They ran after it, watching the dementors shift aside, forced back by its light. They were nearly past them.

Neptune looked around and hissed. The larger dementor had raised its arms, black energy encircling its hands.

It raced ahead of them, exploding in the hallway into a wicked wind that blocked their advance. All the dementors in the hallway soared into it, joining with the wind and creating a cyclone, entrapping the four of them within it.

When Rigel’s mongoose met the barrier, it tore the guardian spectre to shreds, and after a fight, Remus’ dog as well. Tonks lizard curled around her shoulders, becoming wispier by the second.

“ _We need more power!”_ Neptune called out.

In the yard, Pluto pivoted away from the final giant, a great white shape racing out of the Garnet rod and into the building. “Neptune needs help!” She called to Uranus.

It was a rallying cry to the tiring senshi. She ran at the giant, blocking one swing of its axe on both her crossed blades. She barely flinched. “ _Space Turbulence!”_ She shouted. The attack tore the axe from the giant’s grip and sent it pitching backwards. She lept at it, pushing off the fist it tried to swing at her and throwing one sword clean through its eye. As it fell backwards into the sea, she was already flipping back towards the ground.

“ _Expecto Patronum!_ ” she shouted.

The dragon that emerged from her wand looked defined enough to be solid as it raced into the building. At the Time Doors, ushering the rescued wizards through, Sirius Black took his human form once more.

“ _Expecto Patronum.”_ His own did not have an animal form, though it was a more impressive cloud of mist than he’d managed before. That too raced after the senshi’s patronii into the fortress.

From the east, they saw three more white animals diving towards the island, following a flock of bright orange birds, and from the east, a powerful stag and a small butterfly raced ahead of two riders bend over the Silence Glaive.

Uranus looked up, another patronus – a hare – was circling the building too, shining as the crescent moon had earlier in the night, and illuminating the winged figure circling overhead. She grinned, and looked at Pluto.

“Tell her help’s here.”

~ _SMH_ ~

The cyclone of dementors tore up the wood and stone of the fortress, making an even more impenetrable wall of debris. As the creator of the cyclone passed through the wind, its hooded head looming over them, the three order members and one snake animagus kneeling on the floor cringed.

Their last patronus had long since been shredded by the wind.

“It’s going to kiss us,” Rigel squeaked.

“It would have done it by now,” Remus said, trying to find a happy thought and failing. It was like coming up on a thick fog. “It probably… wants to take us to Lestrange.”

They ducked their heads as the wind intensified, making frost appear on their robes. The large dementor’s rotten hands glowed.

 _It’ll apparated us away,_ Neptune thought, _Like Bellatrix in the forest._

 _No it won’t._ Pluto said. _Get ready._

Beyond the black cyclone, white light glowed in the corridor. Neptune hissed as it approached, catching the others attention.

“What…?”

Two dragons burst through the whirlwind, circling the group of them on the bottom and forcing the dementors back. The wind slowed.

And more patronii joined them: circling into a cyclone of their own powerful enough to disrupt the wind, Neptune uncoiled from Rigel’s boot and transformed, smiling at the growing menagerie of Patronii around them.

“ _Expecto Patronum.”_ She said at last, and was successful this time: her dragon rejoined the frey, driving the dementors higher and higher. Above, orange birds dove in and shredded many of the normal dementors.

But the largest one simply howled when they approached it, and did little more than tear its cloak. It batted them away, moving its hands to intensify its own whirlwind. Dementors that had been shredded reformed, more emerged from the whipping winds.

“Is it _creating_ them?” Remus gaped.

Neptune frowned. It bore the distinct signature of Lestrange magic.

High above, it had emerged from the top of the dementors cyclone, coming face to face with an unassuming hare, whose only notable feature was the crescent moon on its brow.

“You are one ugly mug.” Sailor Moon said, raising her glowing sceptre. “Take – that!” She brought it down, the hare advanced, running straight into the dementor’s ribs. It screeched.

“ _Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!”_ she shouted. The hare grew blindingly bright.

And the dementor exploded, wisps of its dark cloak burning up in the night, leaving only one thing behind.

A shard of glass, Sailor Moon thought at first. She flew towards it.

And then reeled back as it glowed black, warping and twisting as it screamed like the dementor had, growing larger and larger, into some amorphous enemy. It raced towards her.

And jolted to a halt in midair, stopped by the blade that had just pierced through the dark form.

“ _Silence Glaive Surprise.”_ The attack sent a shock through the enemy form, evaporating it. Leaving only Saturn’s glaring face and a gaping Harry Potter, flying atop the Silence Glaive.

Sailor Moon beamed. Overhead the clouds shrank back, revealing the crescent moon once more.

“Its done,” she said, looking down through the hole in the fortress at the four people staring up at them, and then out towards the Time Doors where many liberated wix were cheering.

Then she turned to Saturn and frowned. “What was that dementor.”

Saturn shook her head, brow furrowed. “I don’t know.”

~ _SMH~_

Most of those rescued elected to wait at Grimmauld, until the Order found their families and then found all of them a safe place to go. But one boy, who’d been living on his own, agreed to accompany Professor Meioh back to school. It was fine if he stayed at Hogwarts, she said, until he decided on a safe place to go.

They returned from the Irish sea well after dawn had begun to tint the forbidden forest and the grounds purple and blue. It was an exhausted crew of students who followed Professor Meioh and the recent alum into the Great Hall. They were the first ones down to breakfast. Professor Meioh moved to her usual seat at the staff table, and all of them sat with the boy they’d rescued at Hufflepuff.

The moment they sat down, coffee appeared on the tabletop.

“Oh Merlin I could kiss Dobby,” Harry Potter said, while Ron Weasley dove for the tray of biscuits that had just appeared beside the coffee.

Mcgonagall appeared just after six and raised her eyebrows at the group as she walked past. She sat down next to Setsuna and hummed.

“I’m quite sure I did not approve students going on that little venture.”

“Then next time you can be the one who tries to stop them.” Setsuna said. “They did a good job.”

The group of them was so big, that while they drew plenty of attention, none of those students who slipped into the dining hall as the morning wore on noted anything else peculiar about their number. At least not until Susan Bones sat down across from Makoto and immediately stood again, shrieking and pointing before glancing around, noticing the stares, and sitting down again.

And then everyone who’d made it down to breakfast saw who she had. Before long the rumor was spreading across all the tables and people who’d barely sat down were standing up on the benches to see if it was true. A group of Ravenclaw seventh years even ran over when they were told, and hounded their former classmate. “Come sit with us!” They said.

He shook his head. “I’m waiting for someone.”

Hannah Abbott shuffled into the Great Hall at 11, having lain awake in bed for several hours wondering if she wanted to get up yet, wondering if there’d be any news in the Prophet today.

She frowned as the doors swung closed behind her. All the chatter in the Great Hall had hushed, everyone trying and failing not to stare at her.

She rubbed her eyes, hoping Ernie had not taken all the coffee again, and made her way over to the Hufflepuff table. She saw Makoto stand, stepping away from the bench. It looked extra crowded.

And then, as she turned down the aisle towards the seat, the person who’d been sitting behind Makoto stood too, and Hannah froze in her tracks.

He raised a shaky hand and waved at her.

“Timmy!”

He was not as strong as he’d been when he’d carried her trunk through Kings Cross for her last month, and couldn’t lift her as he could have then. She could feel his ribs when she squeezed him.

But her brother was alive.

Neither sibling heard the whoops and applause that broke out around the great hall. But the senshi did, and their friends, all of them grinning into (in many cases) their second or third coffee.

Up at the staff table, Dumbledore wiped his eyes.

And Setsuna grinned properly for the first time in months. She nodded to Sailor Moon down at the Hufflepuff table.

For certain they had not faced Lestrange, or Voldemort. And whatever the dementor had been concerned her.

It was, nonetheless, a wonderful victory.

~ _SMH_ ~

Monday, October seventh began with Amelia Bones rubbing her eyes as she signed off on the last death eater who they had thrown into the Holding cells yesterday.

It had amounted to thirty, total: Five who’d been found sleeping in a lake in Wales, buoyed by an equally dormant giant: one in Ireland whose wand had been burnt up by fire and who’d been unable to apparated out of the marsh that had swallowed him, and twenty four in a ruined bunker floating in the Irish Sea where no structure was supposed to be. They’d been stuck fast to ceilings, floors, walls, some simply stunned and one locked in a cell.

Before she’d even had a chance to sign their statements, she’d had to approve the obliviation requests: for Giants, dementors, _fiendfyre_. And a girl with wings of all things. That had taken her the bulk of yesterday.

She signed the final death eater’s paperwork and threw it on top of the stack, stretching at last.

Macnair, Goyle, Rowle: old names who’d probably find their way out of Azkaban in a few weeks despite her new security plan.

Aldermaston, Evercreech, Fawley: New names to add to a growing list.

Her head jerked up as the door of the main office banged open, followed by a curse as two steel-toed boots tripped over each other.

“Wotcher,” her youngest auror yawned as she passed.

“Auror Tonks,” Amelia said. “A moment.”

Tonks nodded, covering another yawn, and shuffled in.

“You’re late,” Amelia said. “An hour so.”

“But I sent an owl – I am sorry.” Tonks said, her hair turning briefly blue. “It’s hard coming off a weekend assignment.”

“And your ongoing struggle with dragon pox,” Amelia said. Only last week, Tonks had still had a few patches of them on her arms. She did a convincing job of scratching, Amelia thought, convincing enough that she’d sent her home on every day she’d asked.

“Ah…yeah – those might be going away finally.”

“And it doesn’t help that you and Kingsley are always out so late on your assignments.” Amelia said. “Which is why I gave you yesterday off.

“Err.”

“So I am a little curious, presuming you used that day off to recuperate, how it is you appear so fatigued today.

Tonks groaned as Bones waved her wand and the office door sealed shut with a _click_. It wasn’t the mission that was going to come back and bite her in the ass then, it was the clean up they’d done relocating all the liberated prisoners yesterday. “Right – I’m gonna work on that, boss. I know you and Kingsley can spend a day off sleeping but I gotta say,” she yawned again as she shrugged. “I’m just not that old yet.”

Amelia hummed, and waved her wand. The silver kettle on her desk floated up and poured a cup of coffee into the mug that had just soared off its shelf. She settled the kettle on the desk again and grabbed the mug. “Yes, well,” she reached into her desk and pulled out a vial. “This is pepper up potion,” she said, adding it to the coffee. “Do perk up please, Thickness is here for a review of practices today.”

Tonks frowned as she took the mug Bones levitated to her. “The Head of the Security office?”

“Wants to ensure our cells are adequate to hold 24 death eaters until they can be tried.” She said. “He seems… empty headed as usual,” she commented. “But he saw your desk empty. He might pass that off to Scrimgeour if he’s meant to report on personnel slacking off.”

Tonks stiffened. “Empty headed…still”

Amelia nodded. “So unfortunately we must conclude his appearance last week was not an isolated anomaly...”

“You still deciding what you want to do about that.”

“I know exactly what I’ll be doing about it,” Amelia Bones said. “Scrimgeour might be floundering but _my_ office still runs as smooth as a printing press. Now,” she reached into her desk and pulled out a broken sneak-o-scope. She tossed it at Tonks, who fumbled it. “I told him,” Amelia said, “that you were down in Evidence. So you can tell him I sent you to fetch this. And you’re to spend the morning examining it.”

Tonks frowned. “You don’t need to cover for me.”  
“I do when I believe someone has you under suspicion,” Amelia said, “The same someone whose got Thickness as empty-headed as he is. And, I would bet, several others in the other offices.”

“And Scrimgeour isn’t sounding the alarm.”

“He believes he has tabs on everyone he needs to – including you.” Amelia said. “May I be blunt, Auror Tonks.”

Tonks nodded, and Amelia sighed. “I don’t know what it is you and Kingsley get up to when you’re off the clock, or on it for that matter, but I can appreciate that it’s played a hand in decreasing the muggle baiting incidents we’ve been seeing.”

“We just happen to be in the right place at the right time,” Tonks repeated as she had when Amelia’d commented about it before.

“But Scrimgeour is still not convinced you’re doing us any good with whatever vigilanteism is going on,” Amelia said. “And _he_ has other officials close to him who are not so neutral on the matter – there’s only so many times I can cover for you.” She passed her wand between her fingers. “Now, on to another matter,” she said. “If you had anything to do with the eleven death eaters I found stuck to a ceiling yesterday morning then I must also congratulate your ingenuity.” Auror Tonks couldn’t quite mask her smirk. “And I appreciate it.” She sighed, her hand touching the scar on her face she’d gotten over the summer. “When all this dies down I’ll make sure you’re given a proper promotion.”

“If you were sure it was going to die down,” Tonks said. She sipped her coffee and moved to the edge of the desk. Her hair thinned and changed to grey, her frame grew taller, and in a moment, Amelia was looking at someone who would have appeared very like Rufus Scrimgeour from the back. _Someone the office wouldn’t want to interrupt._

“I know, I know – you said I wasn’t allowed to use this one,” Tonks carried on. “But I have a question.”

Amelia poured a coffee of her own.

“What is your plan for investigating Thickness office.”

“I’ll be having it audited next week – as part of an internal review of the DMLE,” Amelia said. “Routine enough procedure. We’ve had a high turn over of late, Scrimgeour will be happy to see some order getting passed down.”

“And you can weed out other empty-headed spies,” Tonks muttered.

“Put another way.”

They both sipped their coffee.

“You know,” Tonks said. “That if people are suspicious of Kingsley and I, they’re suspicious of you too.”

Amelia snorted.

“No I mean it – the people Thickness is… associating with, They’ll want to get into the Auror office more than anything. It’s the heart of the DMLE and it’s more than just Kingsley and I causing the other side problems.

“The other side being the disorganized violence we have been trying to reign in of late.

“Oh come off it!” Tonks said. “What ever line Scrimgeour is feeding the Prophet is bull – you know we’re at war.”

“That is a heavy word for a Dark Lord who has done more hiding than attacking the past few months,” Amelia snapped. “This is hardly the level we were fighting at in ’78.”

“I know,” Tonks sipped her coffee. “But you know, the Headmaster thinks he’s gotten smarter since then. He might not be relying on impressive offensives anymore.” She set the mug aside, “And Thickness might not be his only way in.”

Amelia crossed her arms. “That’s hardly news to me, Auror Tonks. Or have you noticed the minister has a full security detail on him nowadays.”

“Why don't you?” Tonks said.

“Because that would be highly unorthodox,” Amelia said. “This isn’t a war. There’s no need for us to escalate before the other side does.”

Tonks frowned. And she watched her reach into her robe and pull out something that had been pinned to the inside. She set it down on Amelia’s desk.

A Phoenix pin.

“It’s also not smart assuming they’ve got other targets.”

Amelia took the pin, turning it over between her fingers. There was an O.P. carved across the phoenix’s left wing. It was the first hint she had of any of her aurors being involved in anything organized. “Say I believed we were at war, not simply dealing with a weakened dark lord or an imposter… what would you tell me?”

~ _SMH_ ~

_I’d tell you there’s more fronts in that war for you than against you. Hogwarts for one…_

The excitement of Sunday faded quickly for the sixth years, evaporating in the first five minutes of Monday morning Transfiguration.

“The first exam of the semester will be on Friday,” Mcgonagall announced as a piece of chalk wrote the same on the black board behind her. “It will be split 50% percent theory and 50% percent practice. For those of you here on a probationary basis, you will need at least an “E” to remain in the course.

All the scouts turned to Usagi, who was sitting next to Ami in the second row. She looked at Neville, who’d turned pale and was furiously searching for his notes, and sighed.

“I knew I should have slept in today!” Usagi cried.

She had worked herself up into a right mess by the end of the period, sure she was going to fail.”

“Everything I transfigure always ends up pink and lacy – even the rat,” she mourned as they walked out.

“But she won’t take so many points off for that,” Ami said. “Remember I still turn most of my transfigurations blue – as long as you’ve got a solid basis of”

“The theory,” everyone else muttered and Usagi wailed and pulled at her pigtails.

“It’s going to go just as well as the entrance exam,” Usagi mourned.

“But you passed that!” Ami insisted.

“After failing three practice ones,” Rei muttered.

“Hey – hey,” Mina said, throwing her arm around Usagi’s shoulders. “You’ve got a week – we need to pass it too, remember we’ll help you study.”

“Now?” Usagi asked.

“Er… no,” Mina floundered. “I’ve…got… Divination now.”

“I’m free!” Makoto said. “Come on – Maybe Winky can bring us snacks to the library.”

Makoto studied with her until she remembered she had a Captains meeting before lunch. “We’ve got to decide who’s playing game one – But I’ll sit with you at lunch time. – And I can help you study after dinner!” she waved her hand as she left the library. “I’ll meet you there!” she called as Mme. Pince shushed her on her way out.

But Usagi did not appear at the start of lunch nor did she appear by the start of third period. “Do you think she’s still in the library?” Ami asked as they all made they’re way out.

“She must be really worried if she forgets when lunch is,” Rei muttered.

“If she’s not back by dinner we can talk sense into her,” Mina sighed. “If we go now we’ll be tardy – I am not getting detention with Slughorn again.”

Usagi had indeed stayed in the library through lunch, persistently practicing the spell that would turn her chair into a pig and back. The chair was still reappearing covered in pink and lace. And now so was the pig. Usagi groaned.

“That’s better than last week,” Neville’s voice said as he emerged from the stacks, laden down with transfiguration books. “You’re getting it,”

“Not well enough to answer all Mcgonagall’s questions about it!” Usagi complained, and both of them jumped when Mme. Pince ordered them to “ _Be Quiet”_ in a harsh whisper that carried through the empty library.

Not many others were free in third period to study here. Most that were didn’t bother.

Of course, Usagi thought glumly as she turned the pig back and flopped into the very lacy chair, most of them didn’t need to pass to stay in their classes.

“Hey,” Neville said, pulling up a chair beside hers. “I know it’s five days, but I’ve got a lot of the same free periods you do. So if we study together – like when we do the homework – then we’ll both pass. Right?”

Usagi sighed. “Maybe.”

Neville looked at her chair. “You can turn yours into an animal and back really quickly – that’s where I’m gonna lose points, I know it.” He opened one of the books on the table. “I can teach you the theory if you can help me make my spells faster.” He smiled. “Then we’ll both pass.

Usagi beamed. “Okay!”

By the time they arrived in the Great Hall for dinner, joining just as rumors reached the Gryffindor table that Snape must have cursed his own arm over the weekend given how he’d clutched it all day, the both of them seemed much less stressed about the exam. And both opted out of their normal boisterous study group in Gryffindor Tower in favour of the quiet in the library.

So it was that they missed the gossip in Gryffindor that Snape had torn out of the castle once everyone was at dinner, but they certainly caught up on it the next day when Dumbledore was the teacher running their defence class.

“Snape isn’t back?” Harry Potter asked multiple times throughout the day to multiple professors. And each time the response was a shake of the head.

By Tuesday evening, going over the proper procedure for vanishing a vertebrate verses and invertebrate, Snape’s name had made it to Usagi and Neville’s study group in the library as well.

“Here,” Sora Kaioh announced, ushering a gaggle of first years from across the houses up to their table. “He can explain it.”

And after an intensive day pouring over transfiguration notes, it was a relief to both sixth years to get to explain a subject that came much easier to them. Usagi herself listened with rapt attention. For the subject of Defence came to her as a matter of instinct. It was far different for Neville, who’d put weeks of practice and study into every spell he’d ever learned to cast.

“Oh! This one was a tricky one,” Neville said, pointing in the book for the first year. “See it doesn’t say it in this book, see, but Quirrell used to explain it like you needed to practice imagining it first – that’s a lot of how defensive spells get power. If you can visualize it, that's a trick to make it more powerful.”

“Why doesn’t it say that in the book!” the first year pouted.

“Snape doesn’t teach that?” Neville frowned.

Sora Kaioh snorted. “All he says is that you’ve got to want to defend yourself. Which works sometimes.”

“Well I’ve never had to defend myself before!” Another first year said, pushing to the front. “How do I do the visualizing thing?”

They put their own studying on pause until lights out, helping the first years until Mme. Pince shooed the lot of them out of the library.

“Maybe Snape just isn’t good at teaching Defence,” Neville speculated as they walked back to the Gryffindor common room together. When the reached the seventh floor, the portrait hole had already swung open. And Harry Potter was climbing through with his invisibility cloak thrown on haphazardly, his wand lit, and his face on the marauders map.

“Hey Harry!” Neville exclaimed. “D’you have a minute.”

The Fat Lady’s Portrait interrupted. “Only if you’re about to tell him he’s breaking curfew.”

“Mind your own business,” Harry snapped. “I, um, what’s up Nev?”

“Nothing I just – I know you said you weren’t gonna run the D.A. again this year, but see.”

“Look – it’s great. I know. I thought it was great,” Harry said in a rush, eyes flicking back to the map. “But I’m really busy. I mean really, really busy. With like Quidditch and NEWT and stuff.” He ran his hand through his hair. “But maybe if enough people want to do it, they could – just need someone else to run it.” He skipped his eyes over to the same place on the map as before and his eyes widened. “Sorry – I’ve, um, I’ve got to go?” And he raced off, throwing his cloak all the way on. All they could see were his heels as he sprinted down the seventh floor corridor.  
“Wonder where he’s going?” Usagi asked, leaning over the railing and watching his feet as he ran down stairs.

“Dunno,” Neville said, looking through the still open portrait hole. There were not many people still milling about inside, save for Ron and Hermione preparing for their patrol and Ginny leading an Exploding Snap game with Sora, Rei, and Mina by the fire. “What’s up with Harry?”

Hermione frowned. “Didn’t you hear?” she asked. “Snape came back after dinner.”

“And he’s in the Hospital Wing,” Ron added. “Harry’s been itching to investigate since seven.”

“What happened to him?” Usagi asked.

All of them looked at eachother, and the few others still studying at the tables.

“I heard it was Death Eaters,” Cormac McLaggen said, tossing a gobstones piece between his hands in one of the plush armchairs. “Six of em sicked him at an Apothecary or something.”

“I think you are confusing gossip with news.” Hermione said. Then lowered her voice. “But yes,” she told Neville and Usagi. “They think it was… well you know he’s got the…” she motioned to her left arm. “They think what happened Sunday – Voldemort’s blaming him for not knowing.”

“But he went back into the castle before Setsuna even told us that,” Usagi whispered. And her eyes widened. “Oh!”

“You think he left himself out on purpose?” Ron asked Hermione as they left for patrol. “Blimey…do we bloody owe the git now?”

Harry certainly thought so, having dreamed of Snape’s questioning by the Dark Lord the night before, then again when he’d dozed off in Charms that morning.

And according to the Map, Snape was in the Hospital, and Mme. Pomphrey had finally left.

 _“I just want to see if he’s alright, you know,”_ he’d told his friends when he left.

And the closer he got to the immobile dot on the map, the more he felt he might like to apologize as well. For he’d been wondering if Snape weren’t up to something with Malfoy since the year started. _And he’s actually on our side… even when Voldemort…_ Harry swallowed the lump in his throat. He felt sick whenever he thought of the dream: of Voldemort lashing out at Snape for not warning them about the attack… Snape gasping out that he simply hadn’t _known_ inbetween _Crucios._

 _“It is your job to know!”_ Voldemort had said _. “If you do not then that means that Dumbledore and his like do not_ trust _you, and if they do not trust you than what good are you to me? Well!”_

Snape had rolled onto his stomach and spit blood out of his mouth before answering. _“Trust is a de-delicate game, Milord.”_ He’d rasped. _“Sometimes, it is better if I fulfil my duties as a teacher… Forgive me, I did not th-think they’d learnt the prison’s location.”_

 _“And I have said it is your job –”_ but Voldemort had been cut off by a knock on the door, and the death eater stationed there pulling it open, revealing Bellatrix Lestrange. “ _Forgive me, My Lord,” she’d bowed. “As it was my prison, would you permit me to deal with Severus_.”

“ _Please,”_ Voldemort had waved his hand. _“And next week –”_

Harry had woken up then, both times he had dreamed of it, grateful he did not have to see what how Bellatrix would handle things and guilty for feeling it.

 _Surely that is not what he has to handle every week,_ Harry thought, as he neared the corridor of the Hospital Wing. _I mean…_ but his thoughts trailed off, as did any notions about guilt and apologies for every time he’d called Snape a git, when he saw the figure on the map approaching from the opposite direction. Harry Looked down the end of the corridor as a door creaked open.

“ _Nox,”_ Harry whispered, and crept forwards as Draco Malfoy scanned the hall, before unlocking the hospital wing door, and slipping inside.

Harry followed him. Draco had gone to the end of the wing, and was standing at the end of the last bed, waving his arms. He looked like he was shouting.

 _He must have cast a muffling charm_ , Harry thought, and he crept closer, until he could clearly see Malfoy’s angry face and Snape, glaring at him as he pushed himself up on the bed. His arms, Harry noted, were shaking.

He considered outright punching Malfoy when he stepped past the border of the muffling charm.

“Cause clearly _you’re_ not handling it!” Malfoy was exclaiming. “Everyone’s talking about it! They’re spreading rumors around, you know, that you got beat up by Evercreech and Pansy’s sister like they’re some kind of threat to you! They’re making you sound like a laughing stock.”

“Let them,” Snape said smoothly. “Better than them suspecting I have private audiences with the Dark Lord.”

“And that makes _me_ a laughing stock!” Malfoy exclaimed. “And I’m the one with the important mission here, not you. So how’s anyone supposed to trust me if _you’re_ the one supposedly helping me! Is it true you didn’t even know? Does Dumbledore suspect? Is _that_ why you keep telling me –”

“Not to do anything,” Snape finished. “No.”

“Then.”

“Shut up.” Snape spat. “I have told you, repeatedly, it is not the time to act yet.”

“But – but I should show I’m trying.”

“And if you try to impress with any of your hare-brained schemes you will end up sharing future assignments with Greyback.”

“But my father,”

“Is not the pawn in the current situation.” Severus said. “You are – and if you want to survive that, you will continue doing exactly as I saw.” He said. “Focus on your long term project. Not on whatever imbecilic plan you have decided to try for Task two. That is not about brash actions. That is about patience. You want to survive, you wait for the right moment.”

“Cause that’s working out so well for you,” Draco muttered. “What about Prof – ”

“Draco!” Snape snapped.

“Sorry,” Draco rolled his eyes. “Task 3.”

“There are ears everywhere,” Snape said. And Harry glanced down to check that his cloak was covering his feet. “I am still handling it… now go back to bed.”

Draco swore and turned away from the hospital bed. Harry had to move aside to get out of his way.

He hesitated by Snape’s bed, watching him curse under his breath as he tried to lie back once more. Every move made him wince.

Only once he appeared to be asleep did Harry risk moving his trainers across the open, echo-friendly room.

~ _SMH_ ~

Snape’s stay in the Hospital wing, for what many of the upper years got from one source or another was cruciatus exposure, did not have the same impact for the younger students of Hogwarts. In the first and second year especially, most only cared that for the first time all semester, they had a class that had given _no homework_ all week.

For Chibiusa and Hotaru, that meant time after dinner Thursday to see Setsuna, who never had _any_ of their free periods free.

They raced out of dinner after barely a half hour and headed for Setsuna’s chambers, finding them depressingly empty.

“Does she ever _leave_ her office?” Chibiusa exclaimed as they hustled over to the North Wing.

They banged through the classroom doors together and raced up to the office. Locked. “ _Alohomora!_ ” Chibiusa demanded, pushing it as soon as it clicked. “ _Again?”_ She sighed.

Setsuna was asleep at her desk again, just like last month when Chibiusa’d come round for tea. Her face lit in green by the annoying silver gadget that was flashing and whistling in the corner of the desk again. It stopped when Chibiusa put her hand over it.

“I thought she’d stopped doing this,” Hotaru muttered. “ _Mama_ ,” she said, walking around the desk and nudging Setsuna’s shoulder. “ _Wake up_.”

She did, shaking her head to clear it. “Shouldn’t the two of you be studying?” she asked as Chibiusa walked around the other side of the desk. Something cracked under her feet. Setsuna straightened up. “Careful.” She said. Chibiusa lifted her shoe.

There were bits of glass sparkling on the wood floorboards, and a dark red stain as well.

“Is that _blood_ ,” Chibiusa gaped.

“No,” Setsuna scoffed, “Don’t be ridiculous, it’s…” she rubbed her eyes. “Wine,” she said at last. Goodness she had to stop napping in the office. “I knocked over a glass earlier,” she said as she vanished the stain and glass from the floor.

“Are you getting clumsy like Mama?” Chibiusa asked.

“Hardly,” Setsuna assured her. “I believe I was simply in a rush.” She looked down to the paper she’d put on her desk. “Professor Slughorn came by for dinner,” she said, “to relay some information. And I ran out of ink as we were talking, I think I turned a bit to quickly,” she reviewed the information she’d jotted down earlier.

“You had dinner with _Slughorn_ ,” Hotaru wrinkled her nose.

“I had dinner with a colleague yes,” Setsuna smirked. “One who has very useful information.” She showed them the parchment. On it were a list of organizations and names.  
“What’s the Ancestry Preservation Fund?” Chibiusa asked, reading the top most one. “And – hey Flora and Hestia’s parents are on here.

“And a Keelan – do you think that’s Ida’s mum? Why’s she here with the Sacred 28 Society?”

“Because she donates to it,” Setsuna answered. “Or, is presumed to run it,” she unrolled more of the long roll of parchment. “These are all certain organizations that Professor Slughorn believes may be donating to Voldemort’s cause – or else are fronts for funding it.” She picked up her quill and ink to circle several that they’d discussed earlier as being particularly suspicious. “Not even Death Eaters can fight a war without money,” she said. “And I believe, by looking into who funds these, we might uncover those who would be willing to do more for Voldemort than simply hand him a few Galleons.”

“You can find the Death Eaters this way?” Chibiusa asked.

“Or their strongholds,” Setsuna said, looking out the window. “Which is another thing Professor Slughorn has volunteered to look into.”

“What’s in it for him?” Hotaru muttered.

“That remains to be seen,” Setsuna shrugged. “In any case, his help is still appreciated.”

~ _SMH_ ~

Rumor had it that Severus Snape had been released from the hospital wing sometime Thursday evening as confirmed by the Slytherin couple who’d been unlucky enough to get caught necking in the broom closet on his way back. Setsuna had hoped to see how he was faring at breakfast, only to discover that he did not join the school in the great hall. He did not join the students and faculty for lunch either, though by then there was a whole cohort of students able to attest to his foul mood.

“ _He_ broke the inkwell,” Akira said. “He picked it up, and his hand twitched, and _he_ dropped it.” So confused was she, that she didn’t notice the fork she was stabbing into her lunch had begun to glow red hot and warp in her fist. “But instead he blames _me_.” She sighed. “And he gave us a quiz too – a pop quiz! I think even the Ravenclaws failed.”

“Sometimes you study and you still fail,” Susan Bones said across the table. “For instance – sometimes you study all week and you still blank on half of McGonagall’s test.” She perked up a little when Makoto extended the basket of biscuits towards her. “I don’t know about Snape, cause he’s always a bit grumpy. Maybe he’ll be better after the weekend.” She looked at Makoto. “How’d you think you did?” She asked.

Makoto made a face. “I… definitely didn’t get the highest marks on the practical.” She said. “I did the transformation spells fine…then I conjured a tea cup.”

“What? That was simple!” Susan exclaimed.

“And I was still thinking of the transformations,” Makoto grinned sheepishly. “So mine had a tail.”

Susan snorted. “Nice.” She looked over to the next table. “How’d Usagi and Neville do?”

Makoto followed her gaze. “Don’t know.” Neville had worried on and off since morning… Usagi hadn’t spoken a word since first period. “She has to have done well enough – I mean she studied more than _I_ did… that never happens.” She frowned. “You know I don’t think she’s ever had classes she cared about so much.”

“I hope she passes then.” Susan said. “Right – give me the whole basket – I’m gonna eat my worries…”

“I don’t know _why_ they all think it was so hard,” Mcgonagall complained to Setsuna Saturday afternoon as they walked out to the Quidditch pitch. Hooch had passed along that Ravenclaw was playing Hufflepuff in a practice round and she was eager to get a headstart on her research for her usual bet with Filius about who would be winning the cup this year. “It’s always the same – I give them material, they take notes. _Assuming_ they copied down exactly what I said that’s all they need. And that’s if they’re like Weasley and only open their textbooks once in a blue moon – ah!” She grinned and Setsuna looked up. Little Orla Quirk of Ravenclaw had just sent a bludger ricocheting off the hoops and into the unprepared Ravenclaw keeper. “Now _that_ is good strategy.”

They wound up in the announcer’s box, packed with students who had gathered to watch, and to see Luna Lovegood practice her announcing.

“OH! NICE SHOT BY… OH DEAR, I FORGET HIS NAME… BUT THE BOY IN MY HOUSE WHO MADE OUT WITH PAVARTI LAST WEEK, THAT WAS AN EXCELLENT SHOT.” Luna thought a moment. “AND I THINK YOU AND PADMA MIGHT HAVE SOMETHING TO DISCUSS.” She turned to the watching crowd, many of whom had broken into raucous laughter. “How was that?”

“Interesting…” Mcgonagall said with a straight face.

Hermione was biting her lip. “You might do well to have, um, a list of the players names.”

Seamus, howling in the back row, sat up and wiped his eyes. “Luna, I bloody love you.”

Setsuna looked around. The first years were here, cheering on Hotaru, no doubt, as were the scouts and their friends save for… “Did Usagi come with you?”

Mina shook her head. “We asked… but she said she wanted to take a walk instead.” She looked down. “She’s been really stressed about the test.”

“She isn’t the only one.” Neville added, leaning around Ron and Ginny to look at Mcgonagall. “You um… wouldn’t happen to have graded them yet professor?”

Mcgonagall raised her eyebrows. “I have not _finished_ grading them, Longbottom. As there are nearly twenty of you in the course.” She tapped her chin. “That said, I have graded a few.” She took out her wand. And saw all of the students present who were in the course leaning out of their seats. “How many of you cannot wait until Monday’s lesson?”

Eleven hands shot up.

Mcgongall rolled her eyes and smirked. “I appreciate your dedication. Not all of yours are graded,” she said. And she waved her wand. “Several are.” Seven pieces of paper appeared overhead, flying to Susan Bones, Ron Weasley, Ami Mizuno, and Neville Longbottom among others. The last flew back to Mcgonagall, much to Hermione’s disappointment.

“Mine’s not done.”

Mcgonagall chuckled. “Miss Granger, if you got anything less than 100%, I swear I will root for Slytherin in the next match.” She considered the last paper in her hand. “If anyone knew where she was, they could save Miss. Tsukino a weekend of worrying as well.”

The senshi jumped up. “Did she pass?” Mina demanded, moving down the row so she might see over Mcgonagall’s shoulder.

“It can only be viewed by the person it is meant to go to,” Mcgonagall said, and lifted her wand to vanish the paper. “And I can certainly give it to her on Monday with everyone else, unless one of you would like to deliver it.”

Neville looked up from his own results. “I… I helped her study,” Neville said. “Can you just tell me if she got an E or not?”

Mcgonagall raised her eyebrows. “If you and Miss. Tsukino studied together, then perhaps you want to give these to her yourself. Given you are in the same house.” Mcgonagall smirked. “I expect, she will want to thank you.

Neville stood up, “Really!” He stuffed his test into his pocket. “I-I-can, yeah.” He turned around and looked at the others. “I can give them to her now – where she is?

Ginny leaned over and whispered something to Hermione and Rei, that made both chuckle. Then she cleared her throat. “I might have an idea.”

~ _SMH_ ~

Usagi sighed, walking under the thick trellises of roses that wrapped around the astronomy tower, eyes looking at all the blooms that were fast wilting as winter approached. “I wish I’d gotten out here sooner,” she whispered, brushing her fingers against one of the few, still-vibrant blooms. “I bet these are beautiful when it’s warm.” She pulled her hand back as one of the fragile petals fell onto the lightly frosted ground. She sighed, stuffing her hand back into the pocket of her cloak. “I wonder if you could make them bloom again?”

She heard footsteps crunching across the stiff grass outside, and saw the trellises pull aside, letting a new person in.

“Hey,” Neville Longbottom smiled at her, his cheeks extra rosy from the chilly air. “Ginny said you’d be here.” He looked round. “She says Endymion made this place… was he a gardener?”

“He was a knight.” Usagi said, “But I bet he’d have been a gardener if he could – he’s as good as Mako.” She reached out and plucked one of the dead buds off the vine. She touched her wand to it and for a moment, it glowed silver. Neville’s eyes widened as the grey bud turned vivid green again, and a small pink flower sprouted from it. Usagi turned it over in her hands. “He was going to be a doctor too… in this life.” She frowned. “His past life.” She sighed. “This is still so confusing.”

“Doctor’s like… like a healer right?” Neville said. “Professor Meioh says they don’t actually chop people up.

Usagi giggled. “Of course not,” she closed her eyes and smiled. “I wonder if he’ll be a healer now.”

“He’d have to be good at potions,” Neville said. “That’s why I can’t be one – mum says maybe if it weren’t Snape, I’d do better but I think she’s saying that to be nice.”

“Oh I don’t know,” Usagi said. “Mamo-chan said when he didn’t have good teachers he did pretty badly – even at math.” She looked at Neville. “And from the sound of it, all the first years think Snape’s awful at the basics.” She smiled. “And you’re good at explaining… even if I don’t get an E on Monday, I still undertstand it all a lot better now. Only Ami’s ever explained anything so well.

Neville flushed. “Um.” He pulled his hand out of his pocket, holding out a piece of parchment. “About the test… Mcgonagall graded ours.”

Usagi’s eyes widened, and her hand darted forward to snatch the test out of his. “Did you look at yours yet?”

“Yeah.” Neville cleared his throat. “I passed.” He shifted from foot to foot. “If you don’t want to look now, you don’t have to but… better to know, right?”

Usagi looked down at the parchment and nodded. She passed him the pink rose she had restored and closed her eyes, squared her shoulders, and unfolded it. She took a deep breath. And slowly, peeked one eye open.

Her shriek sent all the birds roosting in the tower scattering.

“ _I PASSED!”_ She flung the parchment up in the air and launched herself at Neville, who stumbled as he caught her. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” When he set her on her feet she was beaming. Her eyes, Neville thought, sparkled like the lake in the sunlight. “I never could have done it without you.”

Neville flushed. “Well you helped me a bit too.” He said. “And besides,” He said. “I’m sure Ami and Rei need some credit too.”

Usagi gasped. “Of course. Oh! We should celebrate!” She clapped her hands. “I get to stay in Transfiguration.” And then her eyes widened and she grew pale. “Oh no… I haven’t done the homework yet.”

“Well it’s only Saturday,” Neville said.  
“And it’s twenty pages!” Usagi scrambled passed him and out the gap in the trellises. “Oh wait!” She ducked her head back inside. “You know,” She said. “Maybe if we study together for the next one, we’ll do even better – and you probably need help explaining Defence things to all the first years”

Neville grinned. “Yeah… We make a good team.”

“Yes – okay. Sorry!” She ducked out of the old rose garden again, and he saw her tear off towards the pitch.

Neville looked down at the pink rose still in his hand. Her smile had put a warm feeling in his chest. He supposed it was the reason he couldn’t stop grinning. _What if Ginny notices?_ He thought and then groaned. Ginny noticed _everything_. He sighed. As long as she didn’t think it had anything to do with Usagi.

“I wonder if she’s dating Colin still?” Neville murmured, scanning around for a place to put the rose. He saw a still-green vine growing up around the tower’s base and settled the base of the flower against it. _Colesco,_ he thought, pleased to see the rose respond to the silent spell. Sprout had been pushing him towards silent casting for weeks now though he’d never had the courage to try it until now.

The rose joined seamlessly to the new vine and the petals uncurled even more in response. It was the liveliest thing in the otherwise waning garden.

“I hope you’re still here next time she visits,” Neville told the rose. “I bet it’d make her happy.” And then he shivered. It was getting towards evening and the temperature was proof of it.

He turned to walk towards the exit too, wondering if Usagi’s Endymion visited this garden in his current life. Neville certainly hadn’t seen evidence of anyone else’s care in his six years here. “If you haven’t found it yet, I hope you do,” he said to the empty rose garden. “It really is beautiful.”

_“Hufflepuff’s qualities like ours are more widespread there than you’d think. You should see how hard they work. They know it’s they’re future they’re fighting for. And I know you don’t want to think about it, but those kids in the upper years, like Susan, they’re itching to fight, and they’re already choosing sides. They’re gonna decide who wins this. They’re as good as Aurors some of em…”_

_~SMH~_

_“And there’s more than just Hogwarts who’re with you. There’s another front… an Order of people out there, Let’s say, who’ll stand up and fight before our guys even apparated out of the office…”_

“This is supposed to be the easy lesson,” Michiru said on the third Wednesday in October, glancing sceptically between Morgana Avery, and the Dementor the Weasley twins had herded off Diagon’s streets last week “for research purposes.” Avery’s lion patronus was currently prowling around it, in the basement where they had trapped the thing.

And Avery was perched on one of the boxes in the corner, watching Michiru “Well this will be easier than putting your mind up against a Legilimens for starters,” Avery said. “It involves the same kind of discipline.” She frowned. “I won’t let it kiss you if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“I’m sure I could transform or conjure a patronus to beat back _one_ before that.” Michiru crossed her arms over her chest. “I simply dislike the memories they tend to dredge up.”

Avery sighed. “Me too…” she frowned. “We can do the lesson without it. I just thought, if you’re trying to learn mental magic quickly, this can help with the first step.” She looked at Michiru. “Working through Imperius, or a vampire’s thrall, or a Legilimens…they all require the same thing… you’ve got to focus on what you want, or on what’s true, especially with a Legilimens because if you know what’s true, then you can practice leaving out what you want to hide.” She waved at a Dementor. “Thinking through an encounter with one of these… It helps you focus on what’s true too. But it’s way more benign.”

“I wouldn’t go quite that far.” Michiru muttered, and turned to face the dementor.

“I know given last Sunday…”

“All the more reason to face it now.” Michiru said. “I can’t always rely on happy thoughts.”

“It can take those, but it can’t take facts.” Avery said. “Try to use Protego as long as you can.”

“And focus on what’s true.” Michiru glared at the dementor, holding her wand out in her right hand, and the Aqua Mirror in her left. “Okay – let it out.”

Avery hesitated a moment, but let the patronus fade.

And in an hour’s practice, she only had to cast it three more times. By the end of hour, Michiru had stopped glancing at the Aqua Mirror entirely.

~ _SMH_ ~

Not using the Patronus on the Dementor had been _exhausting._ So much so that Michiru flooed back to Grimmauld place that evening rather than chance apparating. She finished off her third hot chocolate as she stepped out of the flames. Fred Weasley had appeared after they’d entrapped the dementor again, declaring both she and Morgana Avery “absolutely mental.”

 _He’s just saying that cause he can’t do it,_ Avery had said. And that had perhaps cheered her a little bit, because at least this brand of magic appeared to be something she was good at.

Even so: mental fortitude did not _feel_ like magic. It simply felt like a headache.

She paused as she vanished the flames in the fireplace and looked up, there were fast-paced clangs echoing down from the drawing room. _Hmm…_ Michiru smirked as she made her way to the stairs. _That might be a better fix than hot chocolate._

She slipped through the door in time to see Haruka and Hamish lock blades, Haruka’s muscles straining under her shirt as she tried to push back Hamish, who had a lot more weight to throw into a fight than her.

And she had ever so thoughtfully left it unbuttoned as well. Hamish, for his part, didn’t have a shirt. Michiru looked around and chuckled, spotting Rigel staring at Hamish from further along the wall. She sidled up to him. “Enjoying the view?” She whispered.

It made the skinny young man jump. “No!” he squeaked and then flushed. “Maybe.” He turned back to Hamish. “It’s not my fault if he’s so fit.”

Michiru hummed, watching Haruka duck and sidestep as she danced around the room. “Not your fault at all.” She checked the mirror. “I think he might win today.”

“Really!” Rigel whispered

“Hmm.” she nodded. Watching for Haruka to turn towards them. “Right about… now.” She stretched.

Haruka glanced towards her, just long enough for her sword to be in slightly the wrong place. Hamish’s blade swept down in a perfect arch, hitting Haruka’s sword near the hilt and wrenching it from her hand. It echoed as it clattered against the floor.

Hamish Stebbins gaped at it, and at the blade in his left hand. “What?”

Haruka chuckled, shaking out her sword hand and glaring over at Michiru. “Told you you’d beat me eventually,” she said.

“Oh I’m sure I just got lucky,” Hamish assured her as she walked over and picked up her sword.

“That’s one way of putting it,” Michiru said, clapping as she and Rigel walked up to them. Hamish hugged Rigel as he grinned and considered his sword, which he was turning over and over in his hand. “Maybe I’m ready to try spells,” he whispered. “Say…” he looked over at Haruka. “You think they’d work on this.”

Haruka shrugged and set her own blade down on a table. She scratched her head. “Not sure of the mechanics of it, but yeah,” she said. “Give it a go.”

So Hamish spun the blade, grinning. He pointed it at one of the chairs that had long ago been pushed against the wall. “Wingardium Leviosa!” he cried.

Light raced through the blade, towards the chair, and the wooden seat lifted off the ground.

“It’s working!” Hamish cheered.

“Uh,” Rigel stared at the sword. “Is it meant to do that?”

The sword had turned bright red, and Hamish frowned, the leather hilt was fast growing hot in his hand.

“No. No, no, no. Wait!” he cried. “I have it, I have it.” There was a thud, the chair falling over on its side.

And then a squelch, as the sword quivered and liquefied, collapsing into a puddle of metal goo all over Hamish’s shoes.

“So…” Haruka said after a few minutes. “Can’t just be any old sword.”

Hamish sighed, shoulders slumping, and dropped the useless hilt on the ground. “Figures,” He muttered. “I’m going down to the war room,” he said. “I’m at least useful there.”

Michiru, Haruka, and Rigel glanced at each other and followed him. It was best not to let him get too despondent on a bad day.

“You’re more useful than you think!” Rigel said. “I mean – the spell _did_ work. You said last week you bet magic wouldn’t work from your left arm.”

“And you beat me today,” Haruka said. “That was a first.”

“Oh come on,” Hamish rolled his eyes as they all made their way down the stairs. “I saw you look at Michiru.”

“You still won,” Michiru told him as he led the way through the ground floor and to the basement stairs. She smirked at Haruka “You used your enemy’s weaknesses against her.”

Hamish snorted. He held the basement door open for all of them. “Alright.” He sighed. “I guess I’m just hoping to be _better_ than this, you know,” he said. “Strategizing’s useful, I mean, but I want to be back out there fighting with you.” He clenched his fist. “Last week waiting was bloody awful.”

“You’ll get back out in the field in due time, Mr. Stebbins,” Setsuna’s voice startled them as they walked into the kitchen (between the residents of Grimmauld now often called the war room). “It will simply take patience,” she looked up from where she’d been considering the map. “And perhaps a more carefully considered blade.”

Hamish flushed. “We didn’t have another one of those did we?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Haruka said, clapping him on the shoulder as she passed. “What have you got for us, Suna?”

Setsuna gestured to the map, overwhich lay two pieces of parchment, as she made a small circle over part of the map with her wand. “Professor Slughorn has come through for me,” she said as they leaned in.

“He has a contact in the Ministry,” Setsuna said, “Who passed along all the locations which were registered as “unplottable” in the last few centuries. And he was able to get a partial list of several that were bought off the books as well.” She gestured to the longest piece of parchment. “I cross referenced that with his list of those who’ve been known to donate to suspicious charities.

“It always comes back to money,” Michiru murmured.

“Exactly,” Setsuna nodded. Pointing her finger at the map. “Now I can’t “plot,” the points obviously but I have marked them down to within a five kilometre range.” She tapped her wand over the map. “Selwyn, Rowle, Black, Lestrange, Crabbe, Malfoy, Shafiq, and Rosier.” She looked up at Hamish. “These are a partial list, granted, but I am curious…” She crossed her arms. “If you can riddle out more from them than me.”

Hamish braced his hand on the table and scanned across the map. “Are you thinking this will be another prison like Lestrange build,” he said. “There’s no more high concentrations of defences…” his eyes widened. “Wait – these might all be private residences. Old, private pureblood residences.”

“Oh hell,” Rigel said as Setsuna nodded. “We’re trying to smoke out Voldemort.”

“That is the ideal outcome,” Setsuna said. “I cannot see where Lestrange moves him.” She tapped the map. “But these would be potential places he might stay.”

Hamish drummed his fingers as he thought. “They’re not near anything.” He said. “Which I guess makes them good candidates. See here – ” he pointed to five of the new circles. “These are all close enough for those giants in York to get to in a pinch… definitely the vampires here…” his voice trailed off. “That’s funny.” He said.

“What?” The others asked.

“Well… all the locations have something within that five kilometre range… so they’re not remarkable but…” he zeroed in on one red circle Setsuna’d drawn near Oxford. “Most places we know of on this map have Dementors,” Stebbins said. “Why doesn’t this one?”

“Could be it’s not important,” Rigel said.

“Or perhaps whoever lives there doesn’t like them,” Michiru said. “And has the power to decide whether or not they guard it.”

“Are we going to ambush it?” Haruka asked, cracking her knuckles.

But Setsuna shook her head. “Too risky… but we _can_ see what’s being kept there.” She waved her wand. “I know for sure Voldemort will be joining an attack himself on this day, and he’ll put most of his forces with him for protection.” She looked at the map. “We can see what or who he’s keeping at that location then.”

All of them felt a thrill run through them as they looked at the date.

October 31st.

“Three guesses what he’ll want to make a big show of on that day,” Hamish muttered.

Setsuna nodded. “Godric’s Hollow will be subject to an attack that day,” she said. “And most of the Order will go there to ensure the residents are safe.” She looked down to the map. “It is one of only a few things Dumbledore and I believe Voldemort has a personal enough stake in to visit himself.” She tapped the circle on the map. “And that will leave us free to see what he keeps here.” She closed her eyes, perhaps she could see…

_It would be an imposing manor house if they went there, all the curtains closed and the gates locked tight. She saw a white peacock dart through the hedges._

She would perhaps have to take Slughorn up on his dinner offers more often if this is what a bit of academic conversation could garner her.

But if this was their next move, and she was certain it was a good one, there was one more person she needed to see.

She travelled to him with the time doors as soon as she left, letting them materialize in front of his chamber doors. She rapped her knuckles on the unassuming stone face.

“Enter.” Severus Snape’s voice called from inside. His door groaned as the stone moved aside.

He was in his sitting room, she noticed, marking his students’ essays with a red-inked quill.

“It’s good to see your hands have stopped shaking,” Setsuna told him.

“Hmm,” Severus shook his head. “I don’t have any new information,” he said. “The Dark Lord has not permitted my company at the more recent meetings.”

“That won’t be a permanent situation.” Setsuna said. “Let him see the Order is very capable of thwarting him without your help and he will come to trust you again.”

“That is not quite the problem,” Severus said impassively. “I assure you I have talked my way out of that conversation several times.” He set the quill and essays aside and leaned back in his chair. “That is, simpltons’ espionage,” he said. “Alas, it seems the current problem is that the dark lord believes I am loyal to him, and thus that it is the Order who do not trust me.”

Setsuna looked away, not that there was much to look at. Snape kept his chambers quite Spartan, save the wall-to-wall array of books and the single table where a small cauldron simmered.

“You’re remarkably good at the job you’ve elected to do,” Severus said. “Do not go doing a worst one on my account.”

“I would never,” she said. “But I wonder if I do so good a job, perhaps it’s time you retired from yours.”

Snape was silent for a moment.

“Unfortunately,” he said. “I am still more an asset to this war than I am a pawn.” He reached up and rubbed his forehead. “I’ve no doubt it’s going to kill me,” he smirked. “Though I naively hope it will not be due to the Dark Lord’s or Bellatrix’s temper.”

“That does not have to be the future though,” Setsuna whispered. “You have a choice Severus.”

But he shook his head. “There is a debt I have not repayed, amongst other less desireable vows that bind me to this war.” He scowled at his left arm. “And as well, there’s Draco,” he confessed. “Who is stubborn and pigheaded as any boy has ever been.” He looked at his hands. “He’s not going to end up like me.”

“You’ll be successful in that regard,” Setsuna said. “One way or the other.”

Severus nodded, still looking at his hands. “Was there something else you came here for?”

There was. “Does Voldemort like dementors?” she asked.

Severus frowned. “I can’t say that anybody does,” he looked around the room as he thought. “Though those with unhappy pasts tend to enjoy their company less than most.”

Hamish Stebbins assumption had been correct then. Setsuna carried on. “And he is planning a large attack at the end of the month.”

“Godrics Hollow,” Severus said. “That’s spread all through the ranks. Most major players will be going, just after midnight on the 30th, and they will be focusing most on destroying the memorial statue there.” He paused for a moment. “You may not know… Lestrange will be out of the country that day.”

“On what business.”

“I was not privy to that,” Severus said. “But she is helping her wizard with something.”

The Wizard, whose former colleague they had lost at the prison. Setsuna had still not had time to investigate that. _After Halloween_ , she decided.

“Whatever you’re planning,” Severus said. “Which you feel will be detrimental to my well being… do not tell me what it is.” He shifted in his chair again. She remembered how difficult recovering from the Cruciatus had made it to sit still. “Whether the dark lord questions my loyalty and my effort or not, it is safer if I do not know.”

“And if I am, while most of the dark lord’s forces are distracted,” she said.

Severus thought. “Be careful of blood wards,” he said. “Is all I feel it is safe to say.”

“Thank you,” she said, “I’ll let you rest.” She turned towards the door.

“Wait,” Severus said as she reached the exit. “Whomever does go to the Hollow,” he said. “I assume they will prioritize the residents.” She looked towards him, he met her eyes. “Do not let him disturb the cemetery.”

Setsuna swallowed the lump in her throat. “I’ll relay the message,” and she ducked out of the room, striding towards her chambers.

Halloween fell in two weeks time. And they would need all of it to plan.

“ _All of them could lose their lives every day, some more so than most… You know, still hypothetically and all.”_

_~SMH~_

_“So don’t get all despairing yet, Bones. The Ministry isn’t the only front in this fight. Good that it isn’t too.”_

_“Because it’s on their side too.”_

_“You said it, not me,” Tonks motioned to the Phoenix pin she’d removed from inside her own robes and set on Amelia’s desk. “Keep that close.”_

_“Why are you trusting me with this, Nymphadora?”_

_“Oi, just Dora if you’re gonna use first names to throw me off guard.” Tonks looked behind her as a shadow moved past the glass window of the office door. “Because trust has to start somewhere… and even with all my lame excuses you still keep covering my arse.”_

Amelia Bones cursed as the tip of her quill broke off for the fifth time. She raised her wand in her right hand “Reparo,” she muttered, and moved her left to put the quill back on the paper.

She paused though, and set it down, sighing.

“ _Wotcher,”_ Tonks had said, striding into her office bright and early that morning. _“D’you get what I asked for?”_

Amelia remembered watching the hesitance on her face change to glee, and the tips of her hair to orange, when she’d taken the blood-red potion out of her desk.

 _“Am I trusted enough to know what this is for,”_ Amelia’d asked in a biting tone. _“Because it has very limited uses, hence why you need a prescription for it.”_

_“And you know that’s why I couldn’t just go to Mungos and ask.”_

_“Hence, why I brewed it myself,”_ Amelia’d snapped. _“Why do you need a bloodline potion, Auror Tonks?”_

_“Can’t trust work both ways?”_

_“Nymphadora!”_

_Her auror had wrinkled her nose. “What did I say about the name? Look… it’s better if you don’t know for now.”_

_“What’s that mean.”  
“It means I can’t work overtime tonight – I know,_I know _.”_

_“It’s the anniversary.”_

_“And you’re instincts about certain hotspots are on point about that. But I can’t work late tonight – don’t tell the top, they won’t approve my promotion.”_

_“I haven’t_ given _you a promotion.”_ That was when a brass instrument on her desk had chimed – someone else had just clocked in.

 _“Yet,”_ Tonks had said, and turned to the door, shaking the vial as she walked away _. “Ta.”_

She’d stood from her desk. _“Dora,”_ Tonks had paused at the door. _“Be careful.”_

Tonks had smirked at her. _“Always am.”_

Now, Amelia watches the lamp light glance off the carved golden wings on the phoenix pin as she turned it over between her fingers. “What are you doing?”

The brass instrument on her desk whirled and turned red. She tucked the pin into her sleeve and picked up her quill again as the fireplace in the corner lit up the putrid green of the internal floo connection.

“ _Hem, hem_.”

 _Oh for Merlin’s sake!_ Amelia thought, she was not in the mood to deal with Dolores Umbridge tonight.

“Working late, Amelia?” Umbridge asked in her usual saccharine tone. Some days Amelia wondered if a cheering charm hadn’t backfired in her throat.

“It’s the anniversary,” Amelia said. “Everyone’s working late tonight… unless you’re here on a social visit. She leaned forward, very aware of the pin pressed against her arm as she crossed them atop the desk. “And it’s Madam Bones, Madam _Under_ -Secretary.”

Oh that always did irk the woman, Amelia thought. But she tried to reign in her mirth. It would not do for Dolores Umbridge to feel _too_ irritated tonight.

Not when she was on the list Amelia kept charmed, locked, and spellotaped to the underside of her desk drawer.

“Well not everyone it would seem,” Umbridge said, cocking her head to the side. “I saw that Auror Tonks and Auror Kingsley are not on their normal patrol roster tonight?”

“Undercover assignment,” Amelia said. “Aurors Tonks and Kingsley both achieved top marks in their stealth and disguise training and are more than qualified to do that work every now and again.”

“Oh but surely, given all the emotions that run high this time of year, they’d be better served out in public, you know.” She’d given Amelia her widest smile. “For the public’s peace of mind.”

“Which is why I doubled the patrols of magical hubs this evening, or did you miss that detail when you peeked at the Minister’s memos?”

Umbridge glared. “I simply wish to know why it is the two most qualified members of this office are not out _deterring_ any of the violent outbursts that might go on?”

 _You mean battles,_ Amelia thought, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. She knew exactly where every one of Fudge’s lines had come from.

Just then she was startled, feeling the phoenix pin hidden in her sleeve grow hot.

“Well?” Umbridge insisted. “The Minister would like to know.”

Amelia shrugged. “I’m afraid that’s above your clearance level, Secretary Umbridge,” she said. “Tell the minister, if he wants details about my Aurors assignments, I invite him to come himself.”

Umbridge had frowned for a moment, before replacing it with her usual wide smile. She tilted her head. “I’ll let him know when he gets in tomorrow.”

 _Bullshit,_ Amelia thought but held her tongue, bidding Umbridge a good night as she’d stalked over to the floo and left the office.

The moment the flames had died down, Amelia fished the hot pin out of her sleeve and put it in her palm. The front remained the same. She flipped it over. The smooth back had a pair of numbers scrawled in Tonks handwriting across the top, _Coordinates_ , Amelia realized. And beneath them were two words that made her heart stutter, for she recalled them from this very date (before it had been an anniversary of anything) decades ago graffitied across Hogwarts walls:

_Mischief Managed._

_~I Solemnly Swear I Am Up To No Good~_

 


	10. The Daimon In The Hino

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last Time on Sailor Moon H: All is going well at Hogwarts as the Quidditch season approaches, and Usagi and Neville prove to McGonagall they have what it takes to stay in NEWT transfiguration. The mood of the light side is high after the successful liberation of a Death Eater prison out in the Irish Sea, though some of what was found there is worrisome to them. In particular: a dementor made super powered by Lestrange whose magic could only be neutralized by the Silence Glaive, and a Japanese wizard killed in the conflict who knew secrets about Bellatrix Lestrange new companion, the Wizard in White. The senshi are keen to get that investigation underway, but in the meantime, Slughorn has come through for Setsuna, and on the anniversary of the first war’s end, the light plans to take possession of one of Voldemort’s strongholds…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: ANNNNND WE’RE BACK! Thank you to everyone who fav/followed and bless you those of you who took the time to review – they got me through another stressful few weeks of work. I hope to repay you for your encouragement and time in kind – check out chapter 10, in which the dominos begin to wobble…
> 
> This was gonna be longer, but the word count… erupted to 25,000 words and I could not justify containing it all to one chapter, so enjoy a mere 14,000 and expect Chapter 11: “Intelligence Gatherings” this weekend or next. 
> 
> I’m basing my knowledge of a Quidditch game off of how the muggle equivalent runs. So if the scores seem unrealistic, that’s because that’s how high I’ve seen them run in close muggle games. Bludger control also might be a muggle Quidditch exclusive concept. But technicalities…
> 
> Disclaimer: See chapter one or nine…

**The Daimon in the Hino**

Just after midnight on November first, the soft sounds of the trees and fields in one magically protected corner of the midlands were disrupted by a soft _pop_.

Amelia Bones spun round with her wand drawn, peering through her custom, pink monocle to check for any invisible foes or traps… none. She snapped her fingers: a bright blue spark appeared above her head and shot into the air, brightening as it sped upwards, until it hovered fifty feet above the ground and washed the shadowy nighttime-landscape in bright, clarifying blue: showing the acres of fields, the road far off, and, Amelia noted as she turned once more, the great looming form of a manor house sitting just down the well-kept path from her – its ancient iron gates were swung wide open.

She swore as she got close enough to read the inscription carved into the archway over the gates: _Sanctimonia Vincet Semper._

Of all the places she’d thought the coordinates that had appeared on Tonks’ phoenix pin would take her, Malfoy Manor had not been at the top of the list.

 _The hell have you got yourself into, Dora?_ she thought as she conjured a bird and sent it flying through the open gates. Only after it had soared across safely did she step through…

And whipped immediately around again, eyes on the sky as light sprang up over her head – blanketing the night and creating a shimmering dome – powered it seemed by three points of light that had sprung up at the edges of the property: yellow, blue, magenta…

 _“Wotcher!”_ her auror’s call sent the peacocks and flamingos that strolled through the Malfoy gardens squawking and scuttling away into the bushes. Amelia glared towards the open manor doors. Two figures now leaned against either side of them: Nymphadora Tonks – in muggle jeans and a killing-curse-proof, dragon-hide jacket – and her partner Kingsley Shacklebolt in cobalt blue robes with charm work for woven into every stitch.

She trained her wand on them. “Auror Tonks: your first day of stealth training, I gave you some advice. What was it?”

Tonks grinned. “You pulled me aside and said that ‘Fuck the Police’ tee-shirts were not ministry approved undercover attire.” She shook her head. “No fun.”

Amelia nodded. “Auror Shacklebolt: Last year when we dropped the case against Sirius Black, what did I tell you.”

“You said I should drop the man a line that he never submitted a two week notice and technically still works for you – which I have done,” Shacklebolt added. “And he says when he’s finished with his current project, he might be recovered enough from his own partner throwing him in the brink to return your owl.”

She nodded. “Well tell him I’ll do whatever it takes – his desk still has his name on it.”

“We good on identities?” Tonks asked. “Cause you’re gonna love what’s inside.”

Amelia raised her eyebrows and walked forwards, wand ready in her hand. “Either of you want to comment on that light show up there?” she asked as she approached and ascended the front steps.

“A shield,” Tonks said. “Just in case Voldemort or Lestrange gets wind of this and tries to apparate back.”

“But those aren’t wards!” Amelia said, training her monocle on the light dome and wincing. It was _blinding_ through the magical lens.

“They’re better than wards,” Tonks told her. “And the reason we got done with this in five minutes.”

Amelia scanned the atrium as they walked through it towards a hallway of Malfoy portraits.

It certainly appeared there’d been a fight. The walls from the floor to the candlesticks were darkened with water and the whole room smelled like cliffs freshly brined by the tides. And startlingly, the floorboards of the grand stairs had been ripped up and split open down the middle.

“It doesn’t go over very well in reports to have Aurors doing undo damage to pureblood property,” Amelia said. “Particularly not Malfoy Property. Tonks? Kingsley?”

“On the record, it wasn’t all us, but we’ll take full responsibility for our part,” Tonks said. “Say we got an ‘anonymous tip’ and arrived after most of this was done.”

Amelia shook her head along with Shacklebolt. Tonks excuses still needed much improvement if they were to pass those of questionable allegiance in the ministry without notice. “Anonymous tip of what nature?” Amelia asked as they stopped at a large wood door.

Shacklebolt gave her a slight smile as he pushed open the wooden door. “Our top priority missing person.”

Amelia’s eyes widened as they strode through, into a sitting room that glimmered in the light from an overhead chandelier. On the couch, a rail thin old man with crooked glasses looked up at them, appearing twice as aged and twice as thin as he had when she’d discussed having aurors guard his wand shop in the summer.

“Mr. Ollivander!” Amelia Bones went up to him and helped him stand. She clapped him on the shoulder. “I’m so sorry it’s taken so long.”

“I am only glad it wasn’t longer,” he rasped. “You have very competent people working for you.”

“Only the best,” Amelia told him, and turned back to her two aurors. “Where are the Malfoys?”

“Under arrest,” Tonks said, revealing two wands that had been tucked into the sleeve of her jacket.

“Stunned in the hall closet,” Shacklebolt clarified.

“Any chance we can avoid funneling them into the Azkaban-to-prison-break pipeline?” Tonks asked.

Amelia did not seem to have processed the last. She blinked – hard, staring between them. “You’re telling me you have Lucius…and Narcissa,” Amelia checked. “Red-handed with a kidnap victim trapped in their house?”

“In their dungeon,” Ollivander said. “It doesn’t seem as if I am the first one.”

Amelia could not quite suppress her grin. “You know I believe I have enough questions to hold them a while,” she said. “In fact… I have 20 years worth of questions.”

“Before we process ‘em,” Tonks told her, her hair had turned the orange color it did when she was excited. She gestured to the hallway and the stairs at the end. “Suggest you take a look around the rest of the house. Amazing what a mess people will leave out when they’re not expecting you to drop in.”

Amelia’s eyes glinted. “Shacklebolt,” she said. “Escort Mr. Ollivander somewhere safe, and inform lock up to prepare two high security cells.”

“Any particular place, Boss?” he asked.

She shrugged, training her sharp gaze and one raised eyebrow on him. “Anywhere you can hide Black for two years without detection seems safe enough to me.”

Shacklebolt nodded. “And any particular high security cells?”

“Yes,” Amelia said. “The animagus-proof ones next to Lush Lock-up.” Pettigrew would not be aiding any escapes on her watch, and she smirked, “got a couple lads in fresh off a rager at the Leaky Cauldron. I wouldn’t want Lucius to be without the comfort of their scintillating conversation.”

That got a smirk out of Kingsley. “I’ll let ‘em know.” He extended his arm to the rescued wandmaker. “Mr. Ollivander.”

When they had departed, Amelia looked to Tonks. “The blood wards around the property were inactive,” she told her. “Which can only be done from inside.”

“What can I say,” Tonks shrugged as she led the way into the hall. “I’m just that good.”

“They would only let direct, pureblood family through the wards unaccompanied to begin with,” Amelia said. “So I take it this was why you needed the bloodline potion.”

“Yeah – and yes, my wand had _nothing_ to do with the wards going down. You can check. Officially, Kingsley an’ I arrived after someone else got through the family wards and sent us a tip.”

Amelia raised her eyebrows. “That’ll generate quite the conspiracy theory – a member of the family betraying them.”

“Or another half-blood cousin, or a secret love child,” Tonks ticked off on her fingers. “I’ll quote a friend here: the possibilities are endless, but they all get you the same result.” She looked at Amelia. “You did say there’s only one place most people can get a bloodline potion.”

“That I did,” Amelia said. “I suppose the logical course of action would be to conduct an investigation into St. Mungos staff.” And if a pretense for an investigation could rout out other corruption at Mungos in the process, all the better for her.

Scrimgeour might be floundering, _but_ , Amelia Bones thought, touching the phoenix pin tucked into her pocket _, clearly there are others who are capable of helping me keep this ship afloat._

~ _SMH_ ~

The headlines of _The Prophet_ and _The Quibbler_ (a surprise, special promotional edition that dropped to every student in the Great Hall at breakfast) had not generated so much excitement on a November 1 st since 1981. For the first time all year, many of Hogwarts’ students were so stunned they forgot to check the _Obituaries_.

**_RIOT ERUPTS IN GODRIC’S HOLLOW! DARK LORD SPOTTED!_ **

_By Puck Pevinsee_

_Friday, November 1 st _

_The scene of tragedy and of triumph 15 years ago once more became the center of violent conflict on the anniversary of the Harry Potter’s defeat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Godric’s Hollow was the scene of a riot last night, as Death Eaters reportedly appeared to destroy the Potter memorial and were accosted by a swath of residents upon arrival. The Death Eater’s forces were aided by several trolls and dark creatures. Several houses in the Hollow were destroyed. Those gathered to fight the death eaters traded curses with them in the main square for upwards of two hours before suddenly apparating away. It is reported that five civilian casualties resulted from the fight. Death Eaters attempted and failed to destroy the memorial until, one witness reports, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named appeared in person to destroy the statue. It is, at present, sunk well into the ground, but is otherwise untouched. It, and the cemetery it seems, were protected by incredibly strong wards, not the sort that you can throw up in a pinch._

_The Dark Mark was flying over Godric’s Hollow, but it would seem not to be the spectre of destruction it might otherwise have been. We reached out to the minister for comment. Rufus Scrimgeour had this to say:_

_“We saw a need to put extra security over the Hollow last night and were right to do so. I commend the residents who fought and those aurors who were at the scene undercover.”_

_Asked why no auror-red robes were seen in the Hollow, Scrimgeour said that the auror office reserves the right to send out undercover agents in such uncertain times. No Death Eaters were apprehended in the conflict, though Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy (who’ve faced accusations of following You-Know-Who in the past) were arrested last night as part of an unrelated incident._

**_THE DARK MARK FLEW OVER GODRIC’S HOLLOW LAST NIGHT, BUT VOLDEMORT SHOULDN’T CELEBRATE YET._ **

_By Luna Lovegood_

_Friday, November 1 st_

_It was like a scene right out of the 1970’s in Godric’s Hollow last night, the site of Lily and James Potter’s murders played host to a battle between the Death Eaters and the Light side’s forces on the 15 th anniversary of that horrifying event. In total, twenty Death Eaters apparated into the Hollow last night – the largest single gathering of Voldemort’s forces since The Battle of the Department of Mysteries last May, Voldemort himself was seen overseeing the battle from a nearby hill. The Death Eaters were accompanied by several dark creatures, including five confirmed trolls, but that was where their advantage ended._

_Unbeknownst to the Death Eaters or Voldemort, a contingent of aurors had been placed at Godric’s Hollow in anticipation of a conflict, and were aided by fifteen independent freedom fighters. These defenders, protected from return fire by the buildings, kept the Death Eaters mostly confined to the main square. The battle lasted two full hours, at which point the aurors and other light side fighters retreated, but not before they had placed protections over both the Potter Memorial and the graveyard. Both remain standing, albeit the memorial is now several feet shorter. Not that it matters: now we can add messages of thanks and gratitude to the parts of the stone that were too high to reach before. I should think baby Harry Potter’s statue could do with “Hero of the Wizarding World” grafittied across his onesie._

_Regrettably, several houses were destroyed in the Hollow last night, one cat was killed and four human residents wounded (according to one person who fought in the battle). And Voldemort was able to cast the Dark Mark over the village._

_However, let’s not leave that as the main news of the morning. For it seems the battle at the Hollow was a distraction. As it was going on, a small team of freedom fighters broke into Malfoy Manor and summoned aurors to the scene, where the missing wandmaker Garrick Ollivander was reportedly found in a dungeon below the building. Several dark artefacts were also found in the house, and Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy have been placed under arrest, on charges of kidnapping and possession of dark artefacts. We are currently wondering whether the ensuing investigation will uncover evidence of their wilful involvement with the Death Eaters and whether that will see charges of terrorism or treason added to their crimes._

_We have reached out to Madam Amelia Bones, head of the DMLE, who participated in the arrests. We are awaiting her commentary on the matter and plan to cover the case, and any ensuing conflicts in this war, in subsequent publications._

“Luna!” Ron Weasley shouted as she shuffled into the Great Hall an hour later than usual. He ran up and clapped her on the shoulder. “Blimey you wrote this?” He waved the Quibbler out in front of himself as he ushered her over to the Ravenclaw table, where clapping had erupted up and down the rows and was spreading across Gryffindor and Hufflepuff.

“I –” Luna yawned. “Did.” She rubbed her eyes. “I told Daddy he should prepare the press for a special edition. He was hesitant, of course, but he never says no if I ask.” She yawned again as Ami and Padma Patil shuffled aside to make room for her at the table, Ami waving her wand and summoning the pumpkin juice. It poured itself into a goblet that landed right in the middle of Luna’s plate.

“Thank you,” she said.

“Oi! Lovegood!” Marcus Belby, one of the Quidditch chasers, leaned around the five people between them and slapped his complimentary copy of _The Quibbler._ “This is loads better than the usual rag.”

“I always find it entertaining,” Hotaru interjected, glaring down her teammate.

“Sure, sure – but this is _news._ How’d you get this info in a night? Can I get a subscription?”

Luna smiled. “You can – it’s a 3 sickle discounted price for all Hogwarts students.” And as soon as she said it Ravenclaw erupted in whispers, then neighbouring Gryffindor and Slytherin, and Hufflepuff on the far side of the hall.

“Damn,” Ron cursed as he double-checked his pockets. He jumped as Harry came up behind him.

“I’ll take… five,” said Harry, tossing a galleon to Luna. “Keep the extra.”

“I was going to offer you all one for free…” Luna blushed.

“Well get over it – this is brilliant. Everyone should give you money for it.” And indeed, across the hall students were rummaging around in their pockets, pooling spare knuts into the centres of the tables, and getting out parchment to write their parents for more allowance. At Slytherin, Theodore Nott had casually taken out his purse only to have it snatched away by a paler than usual and quite furious looking Draco Malfoy.

“How _did_ you put this together?” Ami asked Luna.

“Oh it wasn’t much trouble, Luna said, searching around for the honey pot and porridge. “Professor Meioh said it might be an auspicious day to roll out the new article series I pitched to Daddy, and I was quite lucky to have gotten homework from her practicing with the crystal-ball, as well…” Luna shrugged. “I was very fortunate to know several sources who were up for receiving midnight owls.”

By their study session that afternoon, Luna had receive a letter from her father reporting that _Quibbler_ subscriptions had nearly tripled following the complimentary special edition they’d circulated across the wizarding world that morning. He expected subscriptions to keep rolling in. _“You know Ms. Thistlington says she may not be comfortable interviewing the number of people we’d need to do this new angle,”_ he wrote. _“I confess it’s never been a direction I envisioned our humble publication taking. But if you want to take point on it, I’ll trust you… do you suppose we should hire another writer?”_

Luna looked up when she’d finished reading the letter aloud and looked across the two library tables they’d pushed together at the gathering of most of her friends. All save Ami, Hermione, Hotaru, and Rei, had this period free on Fridays, though Ginny seemed to have got distracted on her way to joining them. “I don’t know if we could hire another writer,” Luna worried to the group of first and sixth years. “I was only able to do it because well… I could scry… and then of course I rushed to catch Professor Meioh as soon as she returned.”

“Why not tap the Order,” Mina suggested, levitating several, heavy library books off the shelves and strategically stacking them in a wall around Sora Kaioh. “Look at Sirius and Remus: they’re already in hiding they might be willing to put their name on an article.”

“Try Remus,” Harry suggested beside Luna, his nose deep in his Potions book. He wanted to get as much reading in as possible while Hermione wasn’t around to nag him about the trustworthiness of the Half-Blood Prince. “He’s always writing something, I bet he’d do it.”

“Oh that would be wonderful,” Luna clapped her hands. “Professor Lupin makes the most astute observations. Daddy might not like it of course. He says too many facts muddle the mood of the piece, but I bet I can convince him Professor Lupin could manage to write both quite well.”

“Is it dangerous for your dad to get involved in this though?” Neville asked.

Luna’s smile fell. “It is… I thought maybe we should get more security… but our home’s not public knowledge, only the editing office is. And Daddy said I’m not to worry about it.”

“Ask Dumbledore,” Harry said absently, most of his attention on the Half-Blood Prince’s book. He’d just found another page with a spell scrawled in the margin. _Delerio – for getting away safely_. Harry carefully copied it onto the top of his mostly-empty planner.

“Or Haruka and Michiru,” Usagi said to Luna. “They’re busy – but you’re a friend, they’d absolutely help protect your Dad.”

“Long as you keep publishing this stuff!” Ron said. He’d been grinning all day, taking gleeful note of every class Malfoy had skipped: _“probably worried about which of his dark arts toys the Aurors confiscated.”_

“Why wasn’t the arrest mentioned in _The Prophet?”_ Chibiusa asked. “Isn’t it the main newspaper?”

“Dunno,” Ron said, looking between his Charms book and his Defence book to decide which one he’d rather start with. “But _The Prophet’_ s been trying not to cause a stir according to Dad.”

“They’re worried about making the purebloods nervous, I bet,” Neville said. “Loads of people still think Lucius was set up at the Department of Mysteries.”

“Well that isn’t right,” Akira Hino frowned. “They’ve got to tell the truth.”

The whole table nodded in agreement, Luna adding: “perhaps they’ve got wrackspurts stuck in their ears.”

Sora finally managed to push aside the books Mina’d stacked in front of her. “What’s a wracksp —”

She was cut off by the banging of the library doors against the wall and Madam Pince’s indignant shout. All of them turned as the slap of trainers against the stone floor rushed towards them. It was moments before a slim, red-haired Gryffindor skidded round the corner of the row of shelves nearest them.

“Ginny?” they exclaimed as she bolted right up to the them, throwing her book bag to the ground and bracing her hands on the table.

“You’re not… gonna believe… this,” she panted as she caught her breath.

“What happened?” Harry asked.

“I was… with Dean.”

“What were you doing with him?” Ron demanded.

“Making out – what’s it to you. _Anyways,”_ Ginny racked her hair out of her face. “We overheard – Malfoy’s quit the Quidditch team!”

“ _What?”_ the whole table gasped. Ron and Sora grinned.

Harry looked like he’d been hit on the head with a beater’s bat. “But the first game’s tomorrow!” he exclaimed.

“I know right! We’re gonna have the cup in the bag!” Ron cheered.

“Yeah,” Ginny said. “That’s what Snape was arguing with their captain about! They don’t have a reserve seeker trained yet! Evercreech told Snape they’re not ready to play.”

“Too bloody bad for them, then,” Ron chortled.

“But… does that mean they’re cancelling our practice tonight?” Harry worried. “If Slytherin needs to find a seeker…”

Just then, an owl screeched overhead, wings flapping loudly across the library. Two letters dropped onto the study table in front of Harry and Makoto.

Harry opened his and sulked. “Mcgonagall’s cancelled our practice.” And as he said it Makoto jumped out of her seat, face pale.

“Mako-chan?” Usagi worried.

“Sprout volunteered us to play in Slytherin’s place!” she exclaimed. She scanned over the letter again. “Crap… crap, crap. Okay. I’ve got to go.” She crunched the letter in her fist and began to stuff her schoolwork into her bag. “I’ve got to find my players and tell them we’ve got a game tomorrow.” She paused and frowned. “I don’t even know where they all are right now…”

“Smith and the beaters have a free period!” Akira piped up. “I can check the common room for them.”

“Yes – good,” Makoto said, stuffing her last book into her bag. “Tell whoever’s there if they’re at the pitch by 18:30, I will bring them cookies at the next practice – See you later!” She called as she tore off ahead of Akira, jogging through the stacks in search of her seeker and keeper.

Ron looked at Harry, “So… so we’re still playing.”

“Er…” Harry checked the note again. “Yes.”

“But they’re taking our practice.” Ginny made a face and plopped into the chair Makoto’d left sticking out from the table. She put her feet up. “Fucking Malfoy.”

“ _WOULD YOU ALL BE SILENT!”_ Madam Pince shrill admonishment made all of them jump in their seats and glance around to see where their assignments had gotten to.

They were all quiet save for the rustle of parchment and the scritch-scratch of their quills until ten minutes later, when Sora Kaioh realized something. Her quill froze halfway to her parchment. She looked up. “If Makoto’s playing tomorrow,” she said. “She needs her _Firebolt_.”

“And you’ve been borrowing it for practice…” Mina realized.

Harry frowned. “Which means she needs a decent…”

“…school broom,” Ron and Ginny said at the same time.

All five of the Gryffindor team members’ chairs screeched away from the table at the same time.

“Where are you going?” Neville asked as they began to scramble for their books.

“To find a pin in a hay bale!” Mina called as she rushed through the stacks.

“ _NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK!”_

_“ARE YOU AWARE YOU’RE IN A LIBRARY!”_

_~SMH~_

The detour to the broom shed took the Gryffindors longer than they’d hoped, for it was well into dinnertime when Harry and his teammates returned to the castle, having tested upwards of half the school brooms before finding one that worked as well as a proper Quidditch player’s ought to. Ron and Ginny had been invaluable in their search: navigating through the overflow of used broomsticks with an ease that Harry marvelled at. If only there hadn’t been hundreds to sort through, they might have been done in an hour.

They’d secured a battered old _Cleansweep Eleven_ for Sora (one which still knew a roll from a dive and had both foot holds attached) and had tucked it safely away in the Gryffindor locker room. They’d then had to race across the lawn to beat the rain threatening to spill from the looming black clouds, and then run again after dinner to lose Filch (who was after them for tracking dirt through the halls) but the adventure of the day was at last over – just in time, Hermione reminded Harry and Ron, for them to finish their homework.

 _That_ had taken another hour before Ron had given up on it and gone to bed. Harry’d stuck around in the brightly lit common room with Hermione for longer, under the pretence of finishing the Defence homework (which he was sure Snape would fail him on no matter what). Still, he continued writing away long after he’d stopped remembering the words he was putting down, until finally (as the clock ticked past eleven) Hermione yawned and wished him luck, shuffling off to bed herself.

Once he’d heard her dormitory door click shut, Harry (with only the slightest bit of guilt) rolled up his Defence essay and traded it out for the Half-Blood Prince’s Potions book. He turned to the page he’d found the spell in that afternoon.

 _Delerio_ – _for getting away safely_.

 _I wonder what that means,_ Harry thought, imagining it might create a smoke screen as thick as Peruvian instant darkness powder. He glanced around. The common room was empty now, the only sounds the crackling of the fire in the hearth and the steady beat of raindrops on the windows.

“ _Those could be dark spells Harry,”_ Hermione’d been nagging him for weeks. _“You’ve no idea what they do_.”

But Sirius and Remus had learnt all sorts of diversionary spells of a harmless nature, had invented many according to their tales. It had been a popular thing in their day, they said, especially at times when they’d fancied irritating Filch a bit more. Surely a spell jotted down by another teenage boy for making escapes would be just as harmless.

 _It’s not like Hermione knows anyways,_ Harry decided. _And if I test one, then I can prove to her these aren’t dark_. She was someone who appreciated evidence, she’d forgive him.

Harry took out his wand, pointing it towards the portrait hole.

“ _Delerio,”_ he whispered.

And frowned.

“ _Delerio!_ ”

Nothing happened.

“Maybe I actually need to be escaping something,” Harry muttered. Though for the life of him he couldn’t think of why The Prince, who’d taken the time to record this spell _clearly_ intending to pass his knowledge along, hadn’t left more specific details about it.

As he moved to put the book back in his bag, he noticed the Marauder’s map peaking out.

Perhaps he _could_ test it in a proper escape attempt.

 _But only for a good reason_ , Harry decided. He spread the map out across his lap, hunching over it lest anyone happen to come down the stairs and get a look. He scanned over the entire thing as the black ink lines of the castle and the dots of its inhabitants became visible.

He first sought the Slytherin dorms and frowned. Malfoy’s dot was missing.

He stuffed the Half Blood Prince’s book away and fished his cloak out of his bag, running towards the portrait hole with just it, his wand, and the map.

Surely even Hermione’d agree this was a good reason.

He checked the map as he walked down from the seventh floor, until at last, on the second floor stairs, he caught Malfoy moving through the entrance hall, on his way to the Dungeon stairs.

Harry cursed that he couldn’t run fast enough to head him off, even after taking the short cut behind the suit of armour on the first floor. He emerged into the dungeon hallway, panting. But Malfoy’s dot was already pacing back and forth within the safety of the Slytherin dorms.

Harry muttered a curse and cast _Lumos_ , feeling foolish, for this certainly wasn’t going to _help_ his case with Hermione, when he noticed the odd sheen on the dungeon floor. He walked up to it and knelt. The stones were splattered with mud and water leading all the way back towards the entrance hall.

Malfoy’d gone outside the castle?

Harry frowned, and followed the trail of mud and water through the dungeon and up the stairs into the Entrance Hall, catching sight of a stunned Ms. Norris near the top of the stairs. But while the trail clearly led right out the front doors, the rain was pounding too heavily for him to see any path of footsteps across the grounds.

 _Would he have done something to the Quidditch pitch?_ Harry wondered. He thought for a moment of charging out into the rain to check before realizing he would have absolutely no idea what to look for in the expansive Quidditch pitch. And besides, all the locker rooms and the equipment shed were locked, and he doubted the Slytherin captain would have lent Malfoy the key.

Harry glanced at the map. Filch’s dot was moving quickly across the third floor towards the stairs. With a sigh, Harry checked that the invisibility cloak still covered his feet, and made his way back up to the tower.

Malfoy was in his thoughts all the way up to the top of the tower, the more he mulled it over, the farther he got from an answer for why Malfoy, of all people, would have gone out in the rain. Malfoy didn’t even like getting his _gloves_ dirty in Herbology…

And Harry’d never caught him leaving the castle before. Stalking about the upper floors, sure, and in several secret passages that Harry thought only those with the Marauder’s Map would have been privy too… but never leaving…

“ _Abstinence_ ,” he muttered to the Fat Lady.

But she was asleep.

“ _Abstinence,”_ he said louder, removing the hood of his cloak.

This time the Fat Lady jumped in her portrait, knocking the candlestick in her frame askew. She huffed and glared at him. “What is the meaning of this, waking me up? It is… an ungodly hour of the morning.

“Sorry,” said Harry. “I only want to get in.”

“Well why ever should I do that?”

Harry sighed. “I gave you the password.”

“You certainly did not,” the Fat Lady retorted.

Harry frowned, wondering if she’d taken advice from Sir. Cadogen and changed the password out of spite for him. “It was _Abstinence_ a few hours ago.”

She blinked. “Was it now? Oh, yes that’s right.”

Harry stared at her. “You forgot… your password.”

The Fat Lady straightened up in her chair and glared at him. “ _I did not.”_ She lifted her head high. “I have served this house faithfully for 703 years. I have never forgotten a one.”

“Right…” muttered Harry.

“Perhaps if you insolent troublemakers wouldn’t _wake me up_ at 1:00 in the morning.” She shook her head, still muttering, and her portrait swung aside. Harry dashed inside before she could change her mind.

 _~SMH_ ~

November 2nd dawned chill and damp – the grounds slick and muddy from the rain that had pounded against the roofs and windows into the early hours of the morning. It had had the already nervous Quidditch players from Hufflepuff and several from Gryffindor tossing and turning in their beds, and the hall began to place its bets on the winner of the match at breakfast by noting which players were staring idly at their toast, and which ones had nearly buttered their coffee.

Courtesy of one industrious seventh year, and a whole table’s worth of Hufflepuffs working together to pass the fresh vial of pepper-up potion unseen under the table, all seven of their players were recovered from their restless night by the end of breakfast, and headed for the pitch before Ron Weasley had been coached through his second slice of toast. Their whole table cheered and high fived the Hufflepuff team on their way out, and Akira Hino too as she strode along at Makoto’s side, carrying the captain’s _Firebolt_. The encouragement significantly improved their nerves, and made Ron Weasley squirm in his seat.

“Oh _come on_ Ron!” Hermione said as Hufflepuff left the Great Hall. “Didn’t you say last night you’d gotten in loads more practice than them – and their whole chaser _and_ beater lines are new save for Summerby. Smith only played one game last year. And I’ve watched him – he’s a fairly predictable throw.”

“Can’t feign worth shit,” Ginny agreed. “Ron you can do this – ugh!” She glared at him as he stared at the untouched eggs on his plate. “You are going to eat. You are going to play.”

“I’m going to suck.” Ron muttered, seemingly more despondent now that the Hufflepuff team had enthusiastically marched out of the hall.

“Oh for Merlin’s sake,” Ginny said, red in the face.

“Now, now, team,” said Harry, who had come up behind Ron and proceeded to clap him on the shoulder. In his left hand, Harry was fiddling with a familiar vial of golden potion. “Don’t worry, Ron: I swear you’re gonna do great today. I can tell.”

“How?” Ron muttered.

“Cause…” Harry said, and Hermione frowned as he glanced at the table and leaned over to pour a goblet of pumpkin juice. When Harry set the jug down, the vial of _Felix Felicius_ had disappeared out of sight. He thrust the goblet towards Ron. “Cause you’re gonna drink this _pumpkin juice._ Just ordinary, normal _pumpkin juice_ – loads of vitamins – you’ll be at the top of your game, yeah? And you’re gonna get out there and do just as well as you do at practice – better even.” He stared at Ron. “Understand?”

Ron’s eyes were wide as he took the goblet. Hermione was biting her lip and frowning at Harry from across the table. Next to Ron, Ginny covered her grin with her hand and leaned around Colin Creevey to whisper to Katie Bell.

Suffice to say, it was a much less fidgety Ron Weasley who appeared to make the opening lap of the pitch at precisely 10:00; his mood further bolstered by the cheers of the crowd and the sullen faces of the Slytherins. In particular, Malfoy and his friends glowered up at the excited teams, a stark contrast to the first year Slytherins and Akira Hino (sitting with Chibiusa for the match). As a Hufflepuff, she was more than welcome in the heavily green section of the stands, as it was certainly no secret which team they would prefer to win.

The disruptive sound of someone testing the microphone by tapping on it with their finger quieted the crowd shortly after the teams had flown out of the locker rooms. And then Luna Lovegood’s voice drifted across the pitch.

“ _GOOD MORNING HOGWARTS! I SAY IT IS PERFECTLY DAMP AND DREARY OUT TODAY – PERHAPS THE EXPRESSIVE EARWIGS HAVE SENSED OUR SLYTHERINS FEELINGS AND SUMMONED LAST NIGHT’S RAIN TO EXPESS THEM.”_

Out on the pitch, Ron Weasley faced off against Makoto Kino for the opening throw. Ron seemed to say something that sent both teams into stitches and Makoto punched him in the shoulder.

“ _QUITE A BIT MORE FRIENDLY THAN WE’RE USED TO SEEING RIVALS. NOT TO WORRY HOGWARTS – AND RAVENCLAWS, IN PARTICULAR, AS I HEAR YOU FRETTING ABOUT IT MOST – I HAVE IT ON GOOD AUTHORITY THERE’S NOTHING GOING ON THERE. BOTH THESE KEEPERS ARE STILL SINGLE – AND THERES THE THROW!”_

The quaffle sailed up into the air and the whistle blew. Ron rocketed up to get it. The tips of his fingers brushed the ball just ahead of Makoto’s and he knocked it straight to Katie Bell, who tore off down the field.

“ _I SAY IT’S A GOOD THING KINO HAS HER FIREBOLT RIGHT NOW, THAT SHOOTING STAR’S QUITE FAST – IS THAT – OH THAT’S 10! 10-0 TO GRYFFINDOR STARTS THE GAME EVERYBODY – AND HUFFLEPUFF’S MAKING UP FOR IT TOO! LOOKS LIKE THRUSSINGTON AND FITTLEWORTH HAVE GOT CONTROL OF BOTH THOSE BLUDGERS! IF AINO AND HINO AREN’T CAREFUL THEY’LL ONLY BE RETURNING VOLLEYS…”_

The game continued neck and neck. Gryffindor was up by 30 until Makoto pulled her signature breakaway, startling Ron’s confidence and causing him to let through two more attempts at his goals, tying the game at 70-70. Sora Kaioh pulled Gryffindor ahead again by feigning a throw to Ginevra behind the Hufflepuff goals, and then barrelling past Makoto and straight through the middle hoop.

It was clear though that they were evenly matched – _“PERHAPS HUFFLEPUFFS CAN WORK TWICE AS HARD AT ONE PRACTICE AS ANYBODY ELSE”_ Luna speculated. “ _THEN AGAIN, IT COULD ALSO BE THEIR NATURAL STUBBORNNESS.”_

It seemed to be the latter in the case of the beaters. Hufflepuff’s freshman pair were at loggerheads with Mina and Rei for most of the game. Gryffindor’s two beaters seemed much more in sync: flying to exactly the place their partner whacked the bludgers. But Hufflepuff’s beaters coordinated better with their chasers. At numerous points while Gryffindor defended, they used their chasers to bait Mina and Rei, swooping in and batting the bludger back to the other Hufflepuff beater. At one point an hour and a half in, Thrussington and Fittleworth had both bludgers sailing in a volley back and forth on the Hufflepuff side of the pitch, successfully blocking four Gryffindor attempts on the goals until Ginny Weasley stole their play, purposefully letting a bludger slam into the bottom of her boot. She knocked it towards midfield and caught a pass from Katie Bell, sending the quaffle sailing towards Makoto, who caught it handily and lobbed it back towards Summerby in centerfield.

“ _AND HE’S CAUGHT IT! OH BUT NOT FOR LONG! AINO’S TAKEN WEASLEY UP ON THAT OFFER OF A BLUDGER AND SHE’LL HAVE THAT ON HIM IN ANOTHER SECOND. I DO HOPE FITTLEWORTH CAN – OH YES HUFFLEPUFF’s… OH THAT’S NOT GOOD AT ALL. I SAY: ANYBODY HURT DOWN THERE?”  
_ The fifth year Amelia Fittleworth had strained the limits of her broom to reach the bludger at midfield ahead of Minako Aino, and her bat had thwacked the heavy bludger solidly down and to the left, away from the pitch and straight through the crowds. The crash sent the Slytherins and Akira Hino scrambling for cover and left a gapping hole in the stands

“Watch where you hit that thing!” Theodore Nott called, pushing himself off of Gregory Goyle. “Stupid mudblood.”

“Hey!” Akira Hino rounded on him, wobbling to avoid the pit that had cracked open in the stands (the bludger had sailed right through the first and second years seats and sent she and Chibiusa diving away from each other). “That’s a horrible thing to say!”

“Are you offended?” Nott mocked, standing at his full height, on the higher seats with the other sixth years, he towered over her. “Does that mean you’re one too?”

“Does it matter?” Mina Aino interrupted, flying down to the side of the stands. Hooch it seemed, had called a halt to the game because Both Makoto and Rei were flying towards them as well. Amelia Fittleworth hovered overhead, biting her lip and clutching her bat close.

“I’m sorry!” she said once the sixth year Slytherins had looked away from Mina, discouraged by the reinforcements who now flew on either side of the Gryffindor beater.

“Save it!” Rei snapped, like the others looking at Akira on one side of the hole in the stands, and Chibiusa on the other. “You alright?”

“Yeah,” they chorused.

“They’re fine,” Malfoy sniffed. “She’s probably twisted Theo’s ankle.”

“Which one?” Hooch remarked. She had sailed directly over their heads. “He seems to be standing just fine on both.”

“The left one!” Theo insisted, making a point of stumbling forwards.

Hooch’s lips were pursed. “Have one of your friends help you to the locker rooms. Pomfrey is making her way down there. Malfoy, Parkinson,” she addressed the two prefects. “I trust you to get everyone safely resituated in another part of the stands.”

“So the mudblood can wreck those too!” Theo spat.

“That’ll be a detention for your language – ah!” she glared at Theo when he protested. “Take it up with Snape.” She looked at Mina, Rei, Makoto, and then at Amelia Fittleworth, still drifting uncertainly behind them. “Return to your positions,” she said. “Let’s carry on with this.”

As they flew back, Fittleworth stopped Makoto. “I’m sorry! I tried to hit it to the right! I don’t know what happened!”

Makoto shook her head. “First game, don’t worry about it. Everyone knows it was an accident.” She pointed upwards. “Let’s get started again. You’ll get the next one.”

The game resumed quickly, Gryffindor was given the go ahead to chase down the spare bludger and easily nabbed another goal in the process, making the score 90-110. It was 130-110 before the Slytherins had been resituated in the empty stands across the field, and Amelia Fittleworth was hovering uncertainly near the Hufflepuff hoops, hesitating to bat a single bludger away.

“You’ve got to get back out there!” Makoto told her. “Don’t let one incident ruin your game – you were doing great.”

Fittleworth nodded, and flew away from the hoops, hovering high over the pitch near Harry Potter, who’d already dove once for the snitch and missed. It had been a near thing. Makoto spied her seeker making a lap of the pitch and flagged him down. “We need a catch,” she told him, certain Fittleworth’s effectiveness would only continue to impact their score. _I’ll need to give her a pep talk,_ Makoto thought.

Three Gryffindor attempts on the goal later, Makoto wiped sweat from her brow, noticing several other players doing the same. They were nearing two hours in. She spotted Sora Kaioh dropping down from above, catching a midfield throw from Ginny and moving to pop it through the right-side hoop. Makoto shot across all three goals and punched the ball away. Sora, red faced, dove to fetch it. Makoto sighed. She moved to rest her arm on the side of the hoop and jerked it away, startled.

The metal was hot.

“ _I WAS ABOUT TO SAY IT HAD GOT A BIT STEAMY OUT HERE BUT… HOLD ON,”_ Luna Lovegood’s dreamy tone turned grave. “ _PROFESSOR… WHAT’S HAPPENING TO THE GROUND?”_

Makoto looked down, the grass below had wilted to brown and the whole area around her hoops was a sea of mud… bubbling mud, she realized. _Is it…boiling?_

“Sora!” she called down to the first year, flying very low to the ground. “Get up here!”

“ _I THINK…”_ Luna’s voice waivered. “ _THAT LOOKS LIKE A FIRE MIDFIELD…”_

On the Gryffindor side, Harry Potter was circling the players from both teams, urging them to move higher. All the teachers in the box were standing up.

The ground midfield had caught aflame, Makoto noticed, not a normal flame though, for it seemed the mud beneath it was turning red as well - red and bubbling like a soup.

_Magma…_

“Akira,” Sora whispered. Makoto looked back at her. She had fished her communicator locket out of her robes. “Akira where are you?”

Makoto’s eyes widened, recalling how Akira’d escaped the Wizard in White just weeks ago:

“ _I sort of melted everything.”_

Luna shouted and then a roar drowned out all other sound on the pitch as the molten red ground at midfield burst upwards – a ball of magma shooting right up towards the teacher’s box. Makoto shot towards it.

In the box, Dumbledore waved his wand, conjuring an ice-blue wall between the magma and the teachers. The ball of magma burst right through, shattering the ice and sending small bits of ash raining down on the field and the lower stands. It raced straight for the teachers, straight for Dumbledore, standing (quite shocked) in the center of the box…

A magenta shield sprang up around the teachers when the magma was inches above Dumbledore’s head, and the magma hissed as it slammed into it. The liquid rock oozed across the sides as Makoto and several of the other Quidditch players flew near. Setsuna had cast a _Garnet Ball_ it seemed – using only her wand, and untransformed. Makoto wondered how long her shield would hold.

And then did not have time to wonder. She heard a whooshing sound, and dove to the side as three smaller, faster, balls of magma slammed into Setsuna’s shield.

“What is this?” she shouted. But through the shield several teachers shook their heads, Around her, Ginny, Mina, and Rei had all drawn their wands.

Behind Makoto, Sora was still shouting into her locket. “ _Akira?”_

Makoto looked at the first year’s pale face, and then across at Rei, whose complexion had turned a similar, ghostly shade.

Another blast of lava shot out of the ground. Ginny tried to freeze this one, creating a rain of pebbles that pelted the garnet shield around the teachers box. “Wha…” Her voice trailed off even as the shouts and confusion circulating the stadium increased. The magma pool that had appeared in the centre of the pitch frothed and glowed a brighter and brighter shade of orange.

And then a jet of magma launched up into the air, a small figure balanced on the top. She was coated in the molten rock. Fire sprang up around her, filling her hair and taking on the appearance of a skirt, bows, and a sailor collar

A red and turquoise blur shot past Makoto, streaking towards the figure riding the geyser of molten rock.

“ _SORA_!”

The first year soared right up to the sailor-like figure, getting between her and the teacher’s box. Sora shouted something, holding her wand out in front of her. The sailor in the magma raised one hand and a jet of molten rock shot towards Sora. She dodged it. Then a second took off the end of her broom handle. She scrambled back and cast an _Aguamenti_ against the next attack. The magma turned it to steam and sailed straight for her.

Another player in red and gold knocked her out of its way, the magma ball lighting the end of their _Firebolt_ aflame. Another _Aguamenti_ put it out swiftly, but not before half the bristles had falled into the molten pool below.

The sailor-like figure controlling the magma seemed unperturbed by the growing opposition, She maintained her assault on the teacher’s box. The garnet shield was holding strong, though the wood and fabric of the tower caught fire with every fresh blast. Even those in the box with enough sense to cast _Glacius_ saw the protection work only as long as it took the magma to turn the ice to steam.

“Is that Akira?” Minako gaped along with the rest of them who hovered in the air.

“Yes!” Sora said, wobbling on her shortened broom. She tried to shoot another _Aguamenti_ from her wand. It was steam long before it reached Akira. “There’s something wrong!”

It was hard to get a good look at her, the brightness of the molten rock around her as hard to look at as direct sun. Mina squinted across the way at Rei, who was pointing to Akira and then to her neck.

Mina could just make out the golden chain and the large stone in the centre of it – one that was perhaps black or green, for it seemed to give off many colors. But it certainly wasn’t melting as she would expect metal and rock to do right now.

“It doesn’t feel right,” Sora said. “I think it’s controlling her.”

“Not for long,” Mina assured her, sending _Auguamenti Maxima_ and _Glacius_ together towards Akira. The linked spells were cold enough to outlast the spout of magma a few seconds, forcing Akira back several feet and causing the spout of magma supporting her to dwindle. The same spells from Rei, Makoto, Harry, and from Ginny helped to keep Akira back, soon they were aided by the other players too as they shot jets of water from high above. Several jets of water began to erupt from the stands below the teachers as the spectators recovered from their shock.

 _Doubt it will hold her back for long_. Mina bit her lip. There was no easy way for them to leave the pitch to transform, and she was not keen to have the whole student body learn _they_ were the same mysterious witches who had fought at the ministry in May…

She looked towards Rei. _“Where’s Saturn?”_ she signalled with her hand.

Rei’s reply was fast, even as her right hand shot another _Aguamenti Maxima_ towards Akira. “ _Getting out of the crowds. Mercury too.”_

“MOVE!” Sora shouted, dragging the handle of Mina’s broom downwards just as a searing heat rushed over her head. She deflected another attack with _Glacius_ and _Protego_ and shivered as the magma melted her shield in seconds, until all that was left were steam and a whistle echoing in her ears from how quickly the ice had boiled.

It seemed Akira had decided that to get to the teachers box, she’d have to deal with them first.

“GUYS – CIRCLE HER!” Mina shouted, noting that it wasn’t just those close to them that followed the order. Ron Weasley and Katie Bell were circling down from above and she could even see the two Hufflepuff Beaters moving in with the bludgers volleying between them.

 _Shit!_ Mina checked that she still had a grip on her bat and then shot up to meet Thrussington and Fittleworth.

“Don’t hit her!” she called. “She’s a first year!”

Fittleworth stopped first, lightly tapping the bludger that was sailing towards her and then grabbing it in both hands. “ _What?”_

“And she’s a Hufflepuff,” Mina added, for Thrussington still looked more than willing to lob her bludger down at Akira.

Fittleworth took another look at the first year, and her eyes widened. “She was in the stands earlier!”

 _The Slytherin stands_ , Mina recalled. _She and Chibiusa got separated_. Her mind flitted over the faces she remembered: Nott, Malfoy, Goyle… She looked down in a vain attempt to see if she could spot them in the ant-sized faces below.

And saw the pool of magma on the ground spreading, edging towards the crowded stands.

The wooden stands.

 _Shit_.

“Hand me a bludger!” she shouted to the beaters. Fittleworth passed her the one she had wrangled and Mina tucked the struggling ball securely under her left arm. It thumped against her ribs and the handle of the bat in her fist. “Come on!” She dove downwards again, towards the Quidditch players who were circling Akira and the magma spout, trying their best to deflect her attacks from the teachers box and now from all the students in the stands. _We need Saturn and Mercury_ , she thought. _And Moon_ …

Usagi had said she would be sitting with the Gryffindors, all the way down by the Gryffindor goals. She hoped she could get out of the crowds soon.

She flew into the formation circling the lava spout, well below Akira’s level, and turned her wand on the bludger in her hand. “ _Engorgio,”_ she whispered. It expanded to twice the size of a volleyball. _“Glacius Frigidius”_ she had to release it as the black ball took on an icy sheen cold enough that it turned her fingers instantly blue. She now knew why Flitwick had said never to cast that variant on a duelling floor. She readied the bat on the floating bludger and took aim at the magma spout. Could she aim upwards without hurting Akira?

The first year still covered in the magma glanced down. Her eyes were abnormally large and vacant. But there was no mistaking that she’d spotted Mina. A giant ball of magma was growing in her hand.

Mina gulped. She swung the bat. It broke in two as it hit the bludger. The frozen ball streaked upwards. It missed the attack Akira lobbed down at Mina by a hair’s breath and plowed straight into the magma spout.

Everything was calm for a moment.

And then the magma roared, turned a brighter orange, and spewed upwards. The Quidditch players above scattered. The upset knocking Akira off balance. She fell from the spout just as Mina’d hoped, and Rei was already near the ground on the opposite side, She waved her wand and Akira was jerked upwards by the ankle, molten rock still coating her even as _Levicorpus_ held her aloft.

Mina flew towards her, and reached the two just as Sora did. She waved her own wand and Akira’s arms flew to her sides. The magma spout collapsed into the pool still spreading across the pitch. Akira writhed against her restraints. The strange necklace was caught around her neck: its gold chain stood out, reflecting the light from her flaming hair. This close, Mina could see the stone in the necklace was glowing.

“Akira!” Sora shouted to her, hovering closer than even Rei and Mina dared to. “Akira snap out of it!”

“Something’s possessed you!” Rei tried. But it was clear they weren’t reaching her.

Mina saw Sora reach towards the necklace.

“Wait!” she said. “Don’t touch it.” Mina waved her wand. “ _Accio necklace.”_

It jerked forwards, and then jerked back, fighting against her spell.

She tried again. “ _Wingardium Leviosa!”_

The necklace began to float as she tried to drag it free from Akira’s neck. Then it began to shudder, and try as she might the chain resisted Mina’s pull. Mina growled and wiped her brow. It felt as though the heat were increasing.

“Here!” Rei shouted. The bat in her hand turned to steel and grew several feet long. She reached out to hook it around the golden chain.

And jerked back as the magma on the ground and the molten rock round Akira both began to glow a rich orange. Rei dropped the metal bat as it turned red-hot and spilled as liquid towards the ground. Akira’s limbs sprang apart as the charms restraining her burnt out, and before they could recast them she had splashed into the magma pool below, it bubbled calmly for a few moments.

Then Akira shot upwards again, gathering a larger ball of magma in her hands. She sent it careening towards the teachers box. The Quidditch players scrambled out of the way. The attack hit _Garnet Ball_ with a ringing sound that echoed across the pitch, followed by a chime, as Setsuna’s the magenta shield shattered. Akira was already growing a new ball of magma in her hands. She lobbed it towards the teachers.

It slammed into a new energy shield. One comprised of black and purple lightning that held firm against the assault of molten rock. It surrounded the whole midfield of the pitch in a perfect dome.

 _Silence Wall_. Mina grinned, flying down towards Sailors Moon, Mercury, and Saturn: all standing together on a freshly cooled strip of earth that stretched towards the center of the magma pool. Saturn’s face was stern and her glaive steady as she concentrated on her shield. Beside her, Mercury pointed her staff towards the magma, sending _Aqua Rhapsody_ racing across it and towards the magma spout in the center. It created a fresh strip of land through the treacherous sea.

“If this gets much bigger it could destabilize the pitch,” Mercury explained. “We need to keep it contained before anything starts sinking.” She squinted up at the magma spout where attacks were being relentlessly thrown against _Silence Wall_. “Is there a person up there?”

“Akira,” Mina confirmed. All three of them gasped. “Mind controlled. Magic necklace. Can’t figure out how to get it away from her.”

They didn’t have time to respond. Frustrated with _Silence Wall_ , Akira (or whatever had possessed her) was turning her ire on the Quidditch players.

“Keep the wall up as long as you can,” Mina told Saturn. “Mercury.”

“I’ll try to keep the magma contained to the centre of the field,” Mercury said.

Moon raised her sceptre. “And I’m coming up with you.” She flexed her wings and leapt up into the air ahead of Mina, matching the _Firebolt_ as they raced upwards.

Akira’d done away with the large balls of magma now. Instead, tongues of it whipped away from the tall geyser she stood on, lashing out at the surrounding fliers. Makoto had gotten most of her team to stay back near the edges of the shield, though her single, seventh year chaser doggedly zipped around Akira, having some luck transfiguring the magma into more harmless variants like pebbles, ash, and sand. The remaining bludger had disappeared it seemed, or more likely been melted. Sailor Moon raised her sceptre against a large arm of magma, deflecting it away from Rei, Ron, and Katie Bell.

The explosion of rainbow light from the scepter drew Akira’s notice, and Sailor Moon shivered as Akira trained her vacant expression on she and Mina. The first year raised her magma covered arms and the tongues of molten earth that swarmed around her bulged and flexed as they prepared to strike.

“I suddenly miss Black Lady,” Sailor Moon muttered, putting herself slightly in front of Mina. Her sceptre began to glow. “ _Starlight Honeymoon Therapy KISS!”_

The attack slammed into an advancing tongue of molten rock, creating a hissing sound as the attacks crashed together in the air. Sailor Moon’s rainbow attack burst through the magma, leaving ash in its wake, and sailed right into the magma spout, knocking Akira off the top. All of the senshi in the air dove towards the falling first year.

Just as Mina cast another _Levicorpus_ ready to try grabbing the necklace once more, Akira’s magma glowed an intense orange. All of them skidded to a halt in the air as a new magma spout roared out of the ground. Sailor Moon had to grab the back of Mina’s robes when her _Firebolt_ , its tail burnt away, failed to stop in time.

“Mercury!” Ginny shouted, directing their attention down. The magma pool was glowing once more, and the heat around them increasing. They gasped as the ice and cooled rock Mercury’d been building up around the magma pool melted away. It began edging up on the bounds of _Silence Wall_ and eating away the islands under Saturn and Mercury’s feet.

“Hold on!” Ginny shouted, she and Harry dove towards the senshi on the ground as Sailor Moon parried another of Akira’s molten attacks. Ginny got Mercury onto the back of her broom just as the small island of rock under her feet melted into the magma pool. They flew to Saturn, who had barely a foot remaining between herself and the magma. She was shaking her head as Harry argued with her. She could not move and maintain the wall.

“We need that necklace,” Mina muttered. She looked over at Rei, hovering far away from the fight. The other senshi was a lone unmoving figure in the chaos of fliers and spells being launched in vain at Akira and the magma spout, which, Mina now realized, was continuing to get hotter.

Her eyes jumped to the three scarlet-and-gold clad figures above: Sora with Katie and Ron. Someone had taught Sora the _Glacius_ spell, it seemed, for she was coating her broom and her robes and even her hands in the ice.

And then she dove.

“Look up!” Mina shouted to Sailor Moon. They both streaked upwards, the rising heat on their left signalled another attack on its way. Mina flew into Sora from the side as Sailor Moon conjured another _Therapy Kiss_ to combat the next attack. This time the magma, and her power, both crumbled to ash, the intense heat had already melted the ice around Sora.

“What are you doing?” Mina demanded of the first year.

“If she keeps making it hotter it’s gonna hurt her!” Sora shouted back. “I need to…” she clutched the locket swinging in front of her robes. “Do something.”

Mina felt the same, wondering how much longer they would be able to hold off transforming in front of all of Hogwarts.

She spotted Rei, still unmoving several meters away from the magma spout. Her eyes were closed; her hands, at her temples.

“Sailor Moon, Sora: can you distract her?” Mina asked, nodding towards Akira.

Sailor Moon nodded solemnly. “I don’t have a plan,” she confessed.

“I might.” Mina flew down to Rei.

Rei’s eyes opened as Mina approached. “Setsuna was talking to me,” she explained. “She was saying we’ve got to be very careful. If anything goes wrong we could cause a paradox or...” She looked towards the figure in the magma. “She might disappear.”

Mina frowned. “We can’t let that happen.” She looked down. Even with Ginny and Harry to help her, Mercury’s ice was not doing nearly enough to maintain the island Saturn stood on. Then she looked over at Akira. The intense power of the magma was now an even match for _Therapy Kiss_ , and Ron, Katie, Sora, and Makoto were not gaining any ground either.

 _But she won’t outright disappear,_ Mina thought, recalling another time a paradox had affected one of their time travellers. When Mamoru had been abducted by _Nehelenia_ , his future with Usagi put in jeopardy, Chibiusa’s powers had briefly failed.

Mina looked at Sailor Moon again: she and Makoto were wearing gloves.

“Come on!” Mina ordered Rei.

“What?”

“I have a plan.” She shot up ahead of Rei, struggling to control her flight on her battered broom. But she did easily get Moon’s and Makoto’s attention. She signalled them over.

“We’re gonna distract her,” Mina told them. “Get close behind her and grab the necklace. It isn’t responding to _Accio_ or anything. You’ll have to grab it by hand.”

“What are you planning?” Rei demanded.

Mina winked at her. “Follow my lead.”

The two of them flew up until they were level with Akira, Mina held her hands palm out and stared right at Akira’s vacant eyes.

She really hoped this worked like she thought. Or else Setsuna was going to be _very_ pissed at her.

“ _REI_!” Mina shouted. “ _I’M BREAKING UP WITH YOU!”_

Rei sputtered and flew into Mina’s side, grabbing the sleeve of her robes: “ _Is now really the time_?”

The magma lashes around Akira stilled. Mina felt the heat lessen. “ _YES!_ ” Makoto and Sailor Moon were cautiously circling closer and closer. Mina cupped her hands over her mouth. _“DO YOU HEAR THAT FUTURE CHILD: BREAKING. UP_.”

Rei’s eyes widened. “Oh!” She jerked them both down to duck a ball of magma. “Right… we’re breaking up,” Rei echoed, closing her eyes and concentrating, hoping by visualizing it, it might become truer. “Which means… no getting married.”

“No having a family.”

“No sex or… or magic what so ever…”

For a moment the magma around Akira dimmed and dwindled, and Mina thought she felt a whisper of cold air. She squinted. It almost appeared Akira had turned translucent. Moon and Makoto were nearly close enough…

Absently, Mina grabbed Rei’s hand.

The heat returned, intensified. The spout around Akira roared up as though outraged, forcing Moon and Makoto back.

Rei jerked her hand away. “Keep going,” she urged Mina.

“Right.” Mina flew farther from her. She shouted again. “ _STILL BROKEN UP. WHICH_ …” Mina bit her lip. The magma no longer seemed to be dissipating, “ _WOULD REALLY MAKE THIS WHOLE SITUATION PRETTY IMPOSSIBLE_ …” Below them Mercury’s ice had begun to lose its battle with the magma. And Saturn’s arms were shaking.

“Come on…” Mina muttered, something had happened, briefly.

Rei came up to her again, and put a hand on her arm. “Let me.”

Mina nodded.

Rei cleared her throat. She flew away from Mina, speaking as she did. “You know what,” she said. Her eyes were closed. “That’s not enough – I don’t trust us. What if we get bored in 50 years and have some relapse.” She turned all around, looking at everyone currently flying overhead. And at Mina last of all. _Trust me,_ she prayed. “And I absolutely _don’t_ want to get back together with you… ever.” She turned her broom around, facing Akira. “ _SO…” please work_ , Rei thought “Just to be absolutely sure,” she stood up on her broom, “I’m going to make sure this never, ever happens.”

“ _REI!”_

Rei spread her arms as she fell, backwards, off the _Firebolt,_ nearing the intense heat a hundred feet below. She stared up at the figure atop the magma spout and at Moon and Makoto, once again _nearly_ close enough. _Come on…_

Suddenly the air around Rei chilled from boiling to freezing as a clap like thunder split the air. Overhead, Akira’s form flickered, the magma spout around her turned translucent and collapsed.

“ _LEVICORPUS!”_ Ginny shouted. The spell caught Rei’s ankle, jerking her up into the air. The tips of her hair hovered inches above the once again cool, muddy ground.

Akira was falling. Makoto dove and caught her as she turned solid once more (back in her normal, Hufflepuff robes). Makoto tore the still red-hot necklace off of Akira with her gloved hand and tossed it up into the air. “Sailor Moon!”

The Moon Sceptre glowed as it spun, its rainbow power slamming into the dark stone in the centre of the necklace. And as Saturn at last dropped _Silence Wall_ , the whole, crowded pitch heard the necklace shatter.

For a moment all was still, as they lowered their weapons and flew up to Sailor Moon… and up to the small pink shard, like glass, hovering where the necklace had been.

There was a screech. Dark power exploded out from the shard, creating an amorphous, black mass of energy just like the one that had arisen from the slain dementor a short month ago. Sailor Moon readied her sceptre again.

_“STARLIGHT HONEYMOON THERAPY KISS!”_

The rainbow attack slammed into the mutated energy and they watched as it warped and flexed, shrinking.

For just a moment, it seemed to take humanoid form.

And then a shriek split the air and their ears as the dark energy flared up again. It stretched out to all sides, and rushed towards the edge of the pitch, towards the forest.

Saturn flew on the glaive to meet it, touching the point of the weapon to the cloud of energy. It jerked to a halt, as the one from the dementor had weeks before.

“ _Silence Glaive Surprise_ ,” she whispered

At once, the energy disintegrated.

~ _SMH_ ~

With Setsuna's help, all of the Quidditch players were able to make it to the hospital wing before the chaotic mass exodus of the students from the pitch. The weary Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs sporting singed brooms and robes shuffled out of the Time Doors and into the empty hospital wing. They shuffled to the sides and whispered to each other as three Sailors escorted the Hufflepuff captain and several Gryffindor players across the ward.

“They’re back!” Katie Bell whispered to her fellow Gryffindors. Her hair was shorter by half an inch, a testament to the magma that had taken off the hood and shoulder of her red robes. Harry Potter only looked slightly less battered, and Ron and Ginny were redder than they had been the summer they'd gone on vacation to Egypt. All the Hufflepuffs who milled about nearby and even the three Sailors had the same reddened faces.

“They are,” Ginny confirmed. “They… come help Professor Meioh out a lot.” Said Professor was currently walking with the Sailors and her exchange students, leading them to the end of the ward.

“And we should...” Harry began, and realized Katie was the only one of them not in on the secret. “Er…”

Katie shook her head. “Just tell me when I need to know,” she said. “Go – see if their first year’s alright.”

They did, moving to the bed in the far right corner of the ward as Setsuna drew the curtain closed around it. Several colored lights flashed as they approached, and when Harry, Ron, and Ginny looked in, the Sailors had transformed back into Usagi, Ami, and Hotaru.

The only one of them who did not appear to have baked too long under the sun was the first year Makoto was settling onto the hospital bed. By contrast, Akira Hino (lying still and unconscious on the crisp, white sheets) was unnaturally pale.

Professor Meioh turned away from the cot and walked up to the three Gryffindors lingering in the entryway to the ward. “You were all very brave out there,” she told Ginny, Harry, and Ron. Despite being spared the brunt of the attacks, she appeared downcast and weary. “I suppose points should be awarded to you all.” She looked back at her students all standing close to the hospital bed. “Excuse me,” she said. She breezed past Harry, Ron, and Ginny. They watched her walk the length of the ward, check each of the players lingering in the middle, and then summon her doors again, disappearing.

As she left, Ami checked that the curtain was drawn as far as it could go around the hospital bed, moving around Makoto, who stood at the end, and then Hotaru, Sora, Usagi, Rei, and Mina who were crowded together on the bed’s left side. Mina held Rei’s hand in a vice grip.

All of them watched Ami take a breath and draw her Alder wand. She waved it in a slow circle, muttering. A pale blue sphere glowed over Akira’s head for a moment. Ami smiled. “Nothing to worry about," she assured them. She heard one of the players outside hiss in pain. "I think it’d be best if I go help the other players."

"I'll help too!" Hotaru said, healing glow filling her hands.

"Can I come with you?" Makoto asked, feeling jittery without anything useful to do. She could feel her wand sparking in her pocket. "Should make sure Kwame's not sore about missing his first snitch."

When they had ducked out, Sora Kaioh dashed across the narrow, open space and hopped up onto the nightstand on the other side of Akira's bed. She began twisting her locket in her hands, staring down at her friend.  
Mina glanced around and spotted the small three legged stool tucked away under the windowsill. She let go of Rei's hand and walked to it, picking it up and moving it close to the bedside. She offered it to Rei.

Rei shook her head though. And Mina sighed and sank heavily onto the stool.

Usagi settled a hand on Rei’s shoulder. The dark haired Gryffindor stared at the floor for a few minutes. In the doorway, Harry and the Weasleys watched Hotaru, Makoto, and Ami move between the fidgety Quidditch players, healing each of their scraps, burns, and in two cases, twisted joints and fractured bones. Ginny held her weight on her left foot, her right ankle injured from before the mess with the cursed necklace had even started. If Harry realized that was why she was leaning heavily on his arm he didn’t say anything. And neither did Ron for once.

"Rei?" they heard Usagi ask.

The fiery sixth year still stared at her charred shoes. "Is this how it feels every time Chibiusa's hurt?"

"I hope not," Mina whispered. "How do you stand this?" She could not sit still in her seat – a discomfiting contrast to Sora Kaioh (who had yet to move or make a sound other than to draw her knees up to her chest).

Usagi took her time replying. "It does… even when I hadn’t known her long." she looked at Rei and then at Mina. "It's like… like I've failed at something important every time… and sometimes like I've failed before I've even started."

Rei nodded and closed her eyes. "Who did this?"

"One of the Slytherins in the stands," Harry Potter said. "Malfoy was down there wasn’t he?"

"He was," Mina confirmed. "He…”

The slamming of the hospital wing’s doors interrupted her and then the hurried clack-clack of Madam Pomfrey's shoes across the tile floor. "What are all of you doing!" they heard Pomfrey exclaim. "Get. In. To. Bed." There was the sound of many shuffling feet and then the bounce of mattress springs as the Quidditch players sank heavily down onto the hospital beds. "Tomoe – bed!” Pomfrey ordered next. “Ah, ah, ah – the last time I had you in here, it was for doing too much of that healing. And look at what you’re doing now! You are going to drop where you stand, and it won’t just be you having to deal with your mothers. Look at you: your arm's as red as a tomato. Bed - now. Potter!"

"I’m fine," Harry said, though he, Ginny and Ron turned and walked to the two empty beds across the ward.

When Pomfrey at last got to them, her healer-blue robes pristine though her face had soot streaked across her nose, she braced her fists on her hips and sighed.

"Well heaven knows how you lot got out of there with little else, but a sunburn," she said, surveying them. "Or how you got here so quickly, Miss. Tsukino, as I didn’t see you flying around that... that." she scowled "I hardly want to think what sort of business has a volcano opening up on the grounds.

"A cursed necklace," Mina said. "We think a Slytherin student slipped it to Akira after the stands were destroyed.”

"I saw nothing of the sort on any of they," Pomfrey said "That's a heavy thing to accuse your peers of, Miss. Aino."

"Well how else would it get here, huh?" Mina fired back. "You either have a rat or an invisible death eater’s lurking about."

Pomfrey shook her head. "Impossible" she insisted. "I mean it's just..." her voice wavered and her hands became restless. She lifted them from her hips and flexed her fingers, glancing about for something to do. She bustled to the heavy white curtains hanging on the side of the window and snapped them shut. "They're only children."

"Somehow that doesn’t reassure me," Makoto said, hands white knuckled as she held onto the bed frame. "Seems like they just got more to prove."

"Yes well —" But the clatter and squeak of many muddy boots across her white tile floors distracted her. Pomfrey dashed away with an order for them to sit down. She bustled out into the ward, summoning new beds and opening up an adjoining room as she wove through the mass of students returning from the pitch. She hunted down those who had burns and directing them to sit themselves on a free cot, whilst dragging those interrogating their Quidditch teams away by the backs of their robes.

Amid the ever more organized chaos, several students managed to get past Pomfrey and to the end of the ward. Two first years (a Ravenclaw and a Slytherin) wove through the crowds the fastest and skidded into the curtained off area.

"Akira!" Megumi and Chibiusa gasped at the same time, plowing into the iron end of the bedframe on either side of Makoto. The metal bar of the headboard rattled against the wall.

"Easy," Makoto warned.

"Here." Usagi raised her wand and pointed it at the rubbish bin in the corner nearest her. She mouthed a spell. The rubbish bin widened and collapsed, metal turning to something like liquid, and reformed a minute later into a sizeable cushion that still sported a metallic sheen. Usagi waved her wand again and the whole thing floated to the end of the bed. It settled with a thump onto the floor. "You should sit." she smiled at the first years.

Chibiusa did, and Megumi only after she had.

"Megumi,” Sora asked, the first they’d heard from her in a while. “Will she be okay?”

Megumi closed her eyes and thought. "Yes," she said after a minute. "I don’t think… anything's gone wrong." She looked at Chibiusa. "The opal necklace wasn’t supposed to work like that," she whispered.

"Is that Lestrange’s fault?” Mina interrupted, her gaze sharp as she stared down at them. "It is isn’t it?" She might not have gotten much of sense out of most of Setsuna's timey-whimey mumbo-jumbo, but she could figure out this much.

“Yes,” Megumi whispered. “She’s becoming a change maker.”

“It was just like her dementor last time,” Usagi added, raising the hand that was not gripping Rei’s shoulder and staring at her palm. “My power… it barely affected it.” She closed her eyes. “What are these things?”

Across the way, Luna, Neville, and Hermione had at last made it through the crowded ward, and were all huddled together with Ginny, Ron, and Harry between two beds they’d dragged close together.

“It’s got to have been Lestrange, hasn’t it?” Ginny whispered. “We know Professor Meioh’s had trouble tracking her.”

“Yeah,” Harry said, clenching his fists. “I bet it was Malfoy as well – he snuck out of the castle last night. Bet you anything he went to see her.”

“But you said Snape’s been trying to get him not to do anything,” Hermione said. “I mean… you really think Malfoy could have given Akira the necklace?”

“It makes sense, doesn’t it?” Harry insisted. “And his parents just got captured – bet you anything he’s mad enough to ignore Snape.”

“I mean, I hear you mate, I do,” Ron whispered back. “But that kid got away from Lestrange herself a few weeks ago – how’s _Malfoy_ get to her.”

“I don’t know – maybe he surprised her,” Harry frowned. “I just know it was him. He was outside the pitch with the others it would have been the perfect opportunity.

“And he stayed afterwards too,” Hermione said. “Why’d he do that if he knew what it was going to do?”

“Maybe… maybe he didn’t” Harry said, and sighed. “I don’t know _how_ he did it,” he confessed as Ginny put a hand on his shoulder. “I just know it was him.”

All of them fell silent, staring at the molding between the white tiled floor.

“I don’t suppose anyone else noticed,” Hermione whispered. “And I mean… maybe it’s nothing.” She looked up and found all of them staring at her. “Dumbledore tried to stop that magma first, and he failed.”

“So did everything else,” Ron said. “I mean it was _magma_.”

“Yes… but all the rest of you were using _Glacius._ That wasn’t what Dumbledore did. I mean it was a huge ice wall… and it just shattered like nothing. Didn’t even turn to steam.” She clenched her hands in her lap. “It looked weak is what I mean.”

“Hermione’s right,” Luna whispered. “He was sitting right next to me. He was really surprised when his spell failed… He didn’t use magic again the whole time…”

“Well… that don’t mean anything, does it?” Ron asked with a nervous chuckle. “I mean that was like a bloody volcano… and it caught him by surprise.”

“But…” Neville interrupted. “Well it’s just he’s got to have been surprised before. And he’s still won every time. He’s the greatest wizard alive… L-lestrange,” he gulped. And when he spoke again his voice was hoarse. “Lestrange _can’t_ be more powerful than Dumbledore.”

Dimensions away, determinedly staring into the depths of the Time Sands, Sailor Pluto echoed her students worries, all of which formed a repetitive din alongside growing worries of her own.

Lestrange had a strange new magic resistant to Sailor Moon’s best efforts, that they seemed weak to Saturn failed to ease her worries.

What’s more, Sailor Pluto clenched her hands tighter around the Garnet Rod, if what Harry Potter and Minako suspected was true, then Malfoy had also taken whatever potion obscured Lestrange from her sight.

 _You don’t know that for sure_ , she lectured herself, _You don’t even know if her was involved yet._

But surely some student had been. And she’d already gone through the recent pasts of every student above the fourth year. None of them turned up anything unusual.

And if Lestrange could get whatever potion this was into Hogwarts, there was no telling how many loyal death eaters had access to it too.

 _What are you planning?_ She thought, trying and failing once more to see anything accurate of Lestrange in the fog.

And of the Wizard in White, little more than a shadow or a ghost amongst the eternity of Time, the one whom Crystal Tokyo seemed heavily concerned with as well.

She could see only that Luna and Artemis would finally have some information for her next weekend. With any luck, she would have a name for the strange wizard soon.

_~SMH~_

**_SUPER SECRET SPECIAL OPS SAVES HOGWARTS_ **

_Sunday, November 3 rd _

_Chaos erupted on the Hogwarts Quidditch Pitch yesterday when a pit of molten rock opened up in the middle of the Hufflepuff /Gryffindor opening game. What looked at first like a prank gone overboard swiftly turned dire as what can only be described as a fire-spirit launched itself out of the magma and began to attack the teachers’ box. We should note here: it bested Albus Dumbledore’s defense in seconds. Only the quick thinking of his foreign hire, Setsuna Meioh, saved the Hogwarts faculty from an extensive stay in Mungos burn ward – and that’s if they’d been lucky. The heat from these attacks was enough to liquefy the entirety of the ground under the pitch. The hoops are now several feet below regulation height!_

_What saved the day was not the professors, nor the students, but more of the mysterious witches who were dispatched to the Department of Mysteries in May. These young ladies wield elemental spells and together with the Quidditch teams successfully destroyed the fire-spirit._

_The culprit seems to have been some sort of malevolent poltergeist or perhaps a curse brought forth by a necklace that was destroyed on scene. Thank Merlin. I’m presuming it may have been opal, given how often you see those winding up in nasty business like this._

_Harry Potter, who captains Gryffindor this year, was also seen fighting alongside the Special Ops team. We can’t help but wonder if he knows them some how (we still don’t know where he spends his summers or for that matter how he has survived He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named so often in the first place. It is perhaps no coincidence that these witches are appearing now, as he repeatedly throws himself into the conflicts breaking out across our community. I can’t help but wonder if these witches aren’t the reason why we even celebrate Halloween 1981…_

“Potter, Potter, Potter.” Bellatrix Lestrange sneered as she cast the paper aside. “Always have to mention him.”

“Who is this Harry Potter you and your Dark Lord are so interested in?” The voice in her ear failed to startle her as the Wizard in White materialized from flecks of ash onto the carpet in front of her chair.

Bellatrix glared. “You said I would be able to do that!” she said.

“I said eventually… the circumstances that helped me acquire this…” he held out his hand. It momentarily dispersed into ash again. “…unique ability will present themselves to you in time.” He smirked. “Provided of course you lean into those things we all fear.”

“I don’t _fear_ anything,” she sneered. “Not really.” She scanned the paper again. So they’d determined the stone was an opal, but that hardly helped them – so long as the Time Lady and Dumbledore remained oblivious to its true nature. “Fear’s for the weak,” Bellatrix told the wizard. “It’s like pain – it ceases to do anything except limit your potential.” She tore out the front picture of _The Prophet_ of the players from the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor teams. She set about vanishing the faces of the purebloods. She was running out of pictures to use in her target practices. “Some things I find particularly irritating,” Bellatrix continued. “But I do not _fear_ anything.” Credit to the ministry and their prison: they new how to inure someone to terror.

The Wizard chuckled. _That_ irritated her. “What?” Bellatrix snapped.

“I understand,” he said. “How you could be so incredibly foolish now.”

She was out of her chair with her favoured dagger under his chin before considering it would have no effect on him. “I have not been foolish.”

“Bella, Bella,” he shook his head, gliding around her. She whirled to keep glaring at him. “I teach you the technique I have _perfected_ in a mere thirty years where lesser wizards have been driven mad or settled for crude, uninspired castings like your Tom Riddle has – I teach it to you and within a month, you have made and lost two against threats I warned you about in advance.” He was surely staring at her under the low hem of his hood. As always she could only see the lower half of his face, now permanently pink from where the brat in the woods had burnt it. He was smirking. “It is more than just the Time Lady who are a danger.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Considering I found _you_ locked up in playground of a prison compared to where I sat fourteen miserly years, I’d say your judgement of threats is relatively flawed.”

His ever present smirk twitched for a moment. “We all suffer setbacks… and betrayals. I have learnt my lessons since then, and thanks to your Dementor pet there, the one who put me away has more than paid for that. And before he could speak to any of the White Moon’s agents as well. I must commend you. I will admit to having been foolish not removing him myself.” He hovered closer. “I suppose we all want those who’ve wronged us to be there to watch when we rise.”

She chuckled. She could agree with that. “Then you admit it was not foolish of me to contribute our experiment to guarding that prison?”

“Yes,” he said. “That was wonderfully strategic of you.” Her crooked smile grew at the praise.

And he was quick to snatch it away. “Which makes your decision with the necklace doubly disappointing.”

She glowered at him. “Considering my sister has now been arrested by the ministry with the help of this Time Lady and her friends, I’m sure, you’ll forgive me if I acted hastily.” She shrugged. “Draco impressed upon me that he was ready to act. I thought that might be his best chance.” She crossed her arms. “At least now you know what the new senshi brat can do.”

“That is some comfort.” He tucked his hands into the wide, white sleeves of his robes and drew out a crystal ball that reflected the flickering lights of the surrounding candles. She leaned closer to see in. “And we have confirmed...”

There was the one he called the Moon Queen, taking her sceptre to the necklace. Bellatrix shivered in excitement as it exploded and grew into the mammoth, monstrous ball of energy, one that resisted the girl’s pathetic rainbow attack.

“Had you told me this was happening I could have observed in person,” he said. “But this will do.” The scene played out, the smallest senshi felling the peak achievement of her magic with barely a prick of her glaive.

“It’s always the short ones,” Bellatrix muttered.

“Indeed,” he hummed. “It pleases me to see this actually. I have long mulled over the problem of the Moon Queen’s magic. It is pervasive and far-reaching, to say nothing for its might.” He hummed and waved his hands, the image of the smallest senshi shimmered in the crystal ball. “She is new.”

“Like the volcano brat?”

“No… this one was new years ago, but they were years where my sight was limited by the confines of my cell. I have not gotten to observe her as I have most of the others.” He cocked his hooded head to the side. “Perhaps the sacrifice of your second was not entirely in vane… but do not bandy them about like toys.” He stowed the crystal ball away. “Your Tom Riddle had that much sense at least.”

“But _these_ are better – you said I’d be better than he’s ever dreamed.”

“And you will, Bella. I have great confidence in your potential.” He turned briefly to ash again and reappeared pressed close to her back. His breath was cool in her ear. “You have the emotion and the power to carry you a great distance.”

“Good.” Bellatrix felt him turn to ash again, breezing away to the other side of the room where he poured himself a wine. “How many until I can do that?”

He chuckled again. “Tis’ not about quantity. Patience,” he teased.

She stalked back to her armchair to ponder their conversation and to stare at him as he drank his wine like any other mortal. She was only briefly interrupted by the fire crackling. It turned green and a burnt bit of parchment shot out. She raised her hand and crumpled it when it met her palm.

Usually he did not write so long before. She smirked as she read.

_Little Flamingo nearly proved to be an Icarus today. I wonder if you aren’t encouraging him to abuse his protection… as you clearly are._

_Parcel on the ides_

_~S.P._

_~I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good~_


	11. Intelligence Gatherings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last Time on Sailor Moon H: A cursed opal necklace made its way into Akira Hino’s hands at the first Quidditch game, and the magic in it possessed her and caused her to attack the teacher’s box. Everyone suspects Malfoy’s involvement, and Bellatrix’s…
> 
>  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: And I’m back! I like this chapter a lot. Not so much the last one. I’ve really been struggling recently with the size of this thing. (It’ll be about as long as OoTP I think… I’m trying to cut the size estimate down some). I thank all of you who are reading… I don’t know if most of you even like it, I wish I did. It’d definitely help lift my spirits in an otherwise stressful, dark winter (seriously, It get’s dark at 4:15 P.M. now, which you wouldn't think would affect your mood but it is like having dementors lingering about)
> 
> Disclaimer: See chapter 1 or 9

 

**Intelligence Gatherings**

“ _Arsenal,”_ the clipped voice crackled out of the speakers.

Setsuna sighed, stepping off the busy metro. She ascended the stairs and slipped out of the station and onto the street, As she stepped out into the cold she adjusted the hood of her fur lined cloak, which did not look as out of place in muggle London as usual today, given how everyone else was bundled up against the winter chill.

An early winter chill at that, and Setsuna was certain exactly which creatures were the cause.

For a moment, when a particularly strong gust of wind whipped around the buildings and chilled her ankles, she wondered whether it wouldn’t have been simpler to take the Time Doors to London, or farther to Tokyo, but dismissed the thought quickly. There were reasons she had made the Saturday trek down from Scotland the muggle way, just as it was more than a simple wish for a coffee shop that had led her to set up her meeting here.

 _“The first day that Harry Potter went to shop at Diagon Alley,”_ Dumbledore had told her at their last meeting, “ _There were people minding every public floo, every apparation point (and yes – that is how awesome they thought this eleven-year-old child’s magic would be). They were at every portkey point too, and I’ve my suspicions the ministry was scanning its own systems out of more than pure curiosity…_

_“There was a popular belief then, you see, that he would be the second coming of Voldemort. A better Dark Lord, with a higher pedigree. Potter was as close as you came to the Sacred 28 without actually being on it. Alas…_

_“I had Hagrid escort him via the muggle transport, because I could be assured no one set on snatching him or evaluating his magic would have thought to check such transportation.”_

For today, she had heeded his advice – not wanting to leave anything to chance against Lestrange. She departed Hogwarts while it was still dark and walked from Hogsmeade to the nearest muggle road and to the bus stop: an hour’s trek. After the bus, it had been six hours of not quite relaxing aboard a London-bound train, then a final trip along the Piccadilly line, during which she nearly resorted to magic against the confounding ticket machine and the turnstiles.

 _“I fear I’ve grown dependent on their tricks and charms,”_ Setsuna mused as her heels clacked across the cold pavement. Her steps quickened when she noted the numbers on the buildings. _82… 84… 86…_ She reached the corner and turned into the doorway of number 88, smiling when the warm air rushed out of the small little shop, and when she saw the two people tucked into the table by the one large window.

Haruka raised her hand and waved her over. Michiru was snuggled close to her side, appearing for all to see to be checking her hair in her hand mirror.

“Enjoy the trip?” Michiru asked as Setsuna slid into the opposite seat.

“In some respects,” Setsuna said, startled when a waitress breezed out of the kitchen and placed a hot coffee in front of her. “You ordered for me?”

“Figured you wouldn’t mind given the state of things out there,” Haruka said, reaching for her own coffee. “Unless Scotland’s completely changed your tastes.”

“Don’t worry: the pumpkin juice still baffles me.” She sipped the coffee carefully. “Are you set on drinks?”

“I think so,” Michiru said, setting the Aqua Mirror aside and warming her hands on her tea.

Setsuna set her coffee down and leaned forward, withdrawing her wand from her sleeve. She gave it a quick wave under the table: a notice-me-not charm, and a muffling charm for good measure. The waitress looked right past their table as she stared round the small shop.

Setsuna sipped her coffee again as Haruka unstrapped her communicator from her wrist and set it in the middle of the blue, wooden table. She flipped it open.

“ _Perfect timing,”_ Artemis voice declared.

“That is one of our specialties,” Michiru murmured. They all leaned in towards the middle of the table. “You and Luna have found something?”

“ _We have_ ,” Luna said. “ _Give us a moment_.” Two buttons on the communicator flickered: yellow and blue, and then a pale blue light arced away from its face, resolving into a hologram of Luna’s triumphant face over the middle of the table. The advisor stepped away, revealing Artemis standing beside her atop their Lunar Command computer. “ _You look well, considering last weekend’s trouble.”_

 _“Did Usagi write you?”_ Setsuna smiled.

 _“She did,”_ Luna said. _“Another manifestation of dark energy like that dementor’s… and a Sailor with volcanic powers.”_

 _“I’m not sure which one concerns me more,”_ Artemis muttered. _“Anyways,”_ he stepped forwards, and pressed a button with his palm. In the corner of the hologram an image from the computer appeared. _“Is the image clear on your end?”_

 _“Perfectly_ ,” Michiru whispered, taking in the image of the man she had nearly rescued the month before. Here he was in a Wizarding photo, well fed and round cheeked in a golden set of wide-sleeved wizarding robes.

“ _Kitano Shichirou_ ,” Luna said. “ _Assistant Professor of Magical Theory at Mahoutokoro Institute_.” The image changed – to the man in an office that would have rivalled Dumbledore’s. “ _He specialized in the study of non-traditional witchcraft. His most recent research…_ ” Their eyes widened. An image of a book had appeared – one with Super Sailor Moon brandishing her sceptre on its cover. “ _Was on you.”_

“Never thought of myself as a research topic to be honest,” Haruka said. “What’s in it?”

 _“We did acquire a copy_ ,” Luna said. _“And there’s… a few inaccuracies which come with the territory of pioneering research, but quite a few astutely defended theories and detailed reflections on the senshi brand of magic. There were even a few notes about our magical technologies I thought were quite well observed for a human.”_

“Forgive me if his intelligence doesn’t comfort me,” Setsuna said. “His research is perhaps the reason he was imprisoned and killed.”

“ _Oh, I’m sure_ ,” Luna said. “ _His research is not the thing I’m most concerned about, it only provides the context.”_

“For…” Haruka prompted, taking a sip of her coffee.

“ _He had a research partner,_ ” Luna said. “ _Whom I believe you are acquainted with.”_

This time, when the image changed, it was to a moving, color photo of the kind that might have appeared in a wizarding newspaper. And there were two wizards, dressed in yellow robes, escorting a figure between them.

Though that was all they could discern, the figure being escorted by the two yellow-robed wizards was blurred, appearing as if someone had permanently smudged the ink that defined them.

 _“Our best analysis can’t give us a face,”_ Luna said. _“But we consulted the Japanese ministry of magic, and they were able to say that this is the mark of a particular fugitive.”_

Michiru lifted her mirror. “Name?”

“ _He has none,”_ Artemis said. The frowns on all their faces deepened as they looked around the table at each other. Artemis continued: “ _Or rather, no name that hasn’t been erased. Every picture or mention of him that we have found, we’ve found by looking for the erasure of a name. The officials we spoke to say it was a dark curse he cast – it erased all record of him. Even they could not recall the name he was known by”_

 _“We did learn some things_ ,” Luna said. _“I looked into what you told me_ ,” she told Michiru. _“About his robes changing colors. At Mahoutokoro, the students’ and professors’ robes will change color to note their ranking, or mastery of a new speciality. White…”_

 _“Means they’ve committed dark magic,”_ Artemis said. “ _Apparently they’re not sure when this wizard’s robes turned, as he was school-friends and then colleagues with Professor Kitano, and as you said, he claimed he let his research partner borrow his robes fairly often.”_

“Any idea what turned him dark?” Haruka asked.

“ _No, and neither does the ministry here, only that he and Kitano split shortly before their research on you was published. Kitano was the one who reported him to the aurors_.”

“ _We’re going to keep looking for anything else,”_ Luna said. _“Especially what sort of dark magic he was wrapped up in.”_

“We appreciate it,” Setsuna smiled. “And thank you for staying up, I know it’s late there.”

 _“Oh please,_ ” Luna scoffed. _“It’s simply very early.”_ She regarded the three of them seriously. _“Be_ _careful_ ,” she said. _“Between_ _this and Crystal Tokyo’s visitors, there is not much guidance we can give.”_

“We know,” Michiru sighed, eyes on her mirror. “We’re in uncharted waters here.” She frowned at her mirror and sipped her tea. “Tell us when you have more – no matter how trivial.”

 _“We_ _will_ ,” Artemis said. _“Take care of them.”_

“Always do.” Setsuna nodded.

 _“And yourselves,_ ” Luna reminded them.

“Now where’s the fun in that,” Haruka muttered. She smiled at Luna and Artemis and raised her glass. “See you soon.”

They bowed their heads, and the hologram flickered and faded.

The three outer senshi sighed. Haruka set her glass down and moved to take her communicator. Michiru placed her hand over hers.

“On our mystery wizard’s disappearing act,” Michiru said, turning the mirror towards them. “He’s done a thorough job.”

In the Aqua Mirror, all they could see was the visage of the Wizard-in-White as he always appeared: with his hood securely over his face and his hands tucked into his sleeves. As they watched, his imaged wavered as though he were little more than a ghost.

The image faded away, leaving only their three, thoughtful frowns in the opaque glass…

“So we know where he’s from,” Haruka murmured.

“And how he knows us,” Michiru added.

“But not his name, nor his goals.” Setsuna drummed her fingers on the table. “Nor why he is important to Crystal Tokyo.”

“Have you asked Chibiusa?” Haruka wondered.

Setsuna nodded. “She was far from forthcoming… and my… successor there even less so.”

She’d pulled the two of them and Sora aside the day after the ill-fated Hufflepuff-Gryffindor Quidditch match, when Akira Hino had still been asleep in the Hospital Wing.

_“Do you know who gave her the necklace?” Chibiusa’d demanded. “I know they were a Slytherin! No one in the house will say who.”_

_“I’m not certain who it was,” Setsuna whispered, and held up her hands when Sora and Chibiusa loudly insisted that she tell them who had done it. “But I will soon. If it does turn out to be the candidate I suspect, they are in a tricky situation themselves. And unfortunately they made a poor choice staging an attack on the game…” She’d observed the three of them and explained: “An opal necklace of this sort should have appeared a little later in the original timeline and also wound up injuring a student. And I believe I can infer, as Akira attacked the teacher’s box, that this was an attempt to hurt the professors, the Headmaster in particular.”_

_Megumi had nodded along the entire time she’d spoken. “So…so they didn’t target Akira on purpose.”_

_“I do not think so,” Setsuna assured them. “Now on to other things that concern me more.” She trained her eyes on Chibiusa, who she knew would talk if pressed. “Your friend turned incorporeal fairly quickly – I did not realize your future was so precarious that even the slightest tip towards a change could threaten your existence.”_

_Chibiusa’d crossed her arms behind her and stood a little taller. “We’re fine.”_

_Setsuna’d raised her eyebrows and flicked her eyes over the other two who were both nodding along. “There’s a very specific set of circumstances that has to be met for the future you come from to exist,” Setsuna said. “I’ve spent enough time observing it to know. Now despite that, before this year, I was assured that it would be very hard to change those circumstances.” She’d zeroed in on Megumi, whose red eyes flicked to the floor. Setsuna pushed onwards. “The Wizard-in-White and Bellatrix Lestrange present a challenge to that future, don’t they? And to higher degree than I have assumed thus far – Megumi.” The girl who would be her successor looked up. “If you know who the Wizard-in-White is, or what magic he and Lestrange are practicing, it would be best to tell me. I have spent far more time managing paradoxes than you.”_

_“I-I know,” the tall Ravenclaw first year had bitten her lip. “I know what the magic is… and I know who he is. But I can’t tell you,” she insisted. “It… We’ve got to stop him ourselves.”_

_“Well that’s absurd!” Setsuna’d snapped, “And to insist on keeping all the information to yourselves when there is another person capable of knowing about the future – and more capable of saving it – is childish at best and dangerous at worst. Chibiusa’s learnt that lesson before.” She flicked her stern gaze towards Chibiusa before returning her eyes to Megumi, who shrank back. “We have a prophecy in play which dictates precisely which events in this world need to occur for your future to happen, as well as another, unknown prophecy now in play. Now I recognize that in the future, you are the Keeper of Time and that this is your chance to prove yourself, but you’ll doom your mission by your own hand if you insist on withholding knowledge that I need.”_

_“Puu!” Chibiusa’d exclaimed._

_But she kept her eyes on the childish Time Keeper. “Megumi: tell me what you know.”_

_“I…” Megumi’d opened her mouth, clenched it shut, and shaken her head._

_Setsuna’s heart had stuttered when she saw the tears gathering in her eyes. She’d stepped forwards “Megumi,” she’d whispered, kneeling down so that the first year was taller than her. “Please.”_

_“I CAN’T!” Megumi had whirled around, tearing off into the bowels of the castle. Sora Kaioh had raced after her._

Setsuna shook her head to banish the memory from her thoughts, and the heavy feeling that over took her each time she remembered that she had made Megumi cry. “Chibiusa only told me,” she whispered to Haruka and Michiru, “we should focus on finding the knights and the Prince and defeating Voldemort… and allow them to handle Lestrange and the Wizard.” She looked at her reflection in her coffee. “I am… resistant to that.”

She looked up when Haruka reached across the table and touched her arm. “I don’t blame yah,” Haruka said. “Don’t like leaving the fate of the world to kids – even our kids.”

“Especially our kids,” Michiru added. “I say let’s keep track of this Wizard and Lestrange at least.” She looked into the mirror. “They will inevitably tangle with us as we pursue Voldemort and the knights… it would be foolish not to learn all we can about them and their aims.”

Setsuna’d nodded, “I have thought much the same...” something outside the window caught her eye. It had begun to snow. “I should go back,” she said. “I have not put enough time lately into seeking out the Shittenou’s stones.”

Haruka squeezed her arm. “Stay a while – at least an hour.”

“Have something to eat,” Michiru suggested, whipping out her wand and cancelling the charms Setsuna’d put around their table. “There’s a lunch special with the tea.”

It was impossible to argue with the both of them, especially not when the waitress rushed to their table and apologized for not checking in with them sooner.

“It’s fine,” Michiru’d assured her, giving the waitress three lunch orders to fill. When she’d run back to the kitchen, Michiru smiled at Setsuna. “Stay. How are your classes?”

Setsuna shook her head and finished her coffee. “Fine,” she said. “I’m continuously impressed by their work ethic. Though they hard _dreadful_ handwriting with very few exceptions.” She tried hard to put her worries about the future and their enemies to the back of her mind. “How is Mr. Stebbins doing?”

“Better,” Haruka said. “He still can’t cast with his left hand – but we’ve got him a new sword now and he keeps doing well with that.” She pointed her thumb towards herself, looking smug. “He’s only beat me the once though.”

“ _Twice_ ,” Michiru corrected her with a smirk.

It was more effort than usual today, with the Quidditch game still gnawing at her thoughts, for Setsuna go along with them pretending their lives consisted only of trivial things.

The wizard's image and past nagged at Setsuna well after she’d left the café and well into her journey back to Scotland. She was still mulling it over at 23:41, yawning as she meandered the long way round the lake, eyes on the stars that peaked through the ever-present haze of clouds.

Her thoughts were only disrupted by the surprise appearance of another human swinging open the wide doors of the castle as she was nearing its steps. She had to cast _Lumos_ to see them, as it was a new moon, and thus a night with scant light to see by.

“Severus,” she greeted.

“I had nearly lost hope of catching you this evening,” he said, waving his own wand to cast a brighter light. “I have news… of things that are in our… mutual interest.”

She nodded, pushing the Wizard-in-White out of her thoughts. She’d been pressing Severus all week to uncover whether it had truly been Malfoy who’d slipped Akira the locket, as it might confirm yet another person hidden from her sight.

It was a quick trip to her office, during which they did not talk. She was grateful: as valuable as Slughorn’s information was, his eagerness for conversation often left her exhausted.

She waved her wand as they neared her classroom. The doors to it (and her office) swung open. The candlesticks along the poster-plastered walls sparked to life as they walked in. Setsuna waved Severus into the office ahead of her.

As it always did when he walked through the door, the twins’ original Dark Mark Detector at the corner of her desk whistled to life, rattling against the wood as bright green smoke filled the glass-and-silver instrument. She set her hand on it as she walked around her desk, and the detector quieted once more.

“Sorry,” she said, conjuring Severus a chair. “Now…”

“I have some information on Voldemort’s plans for the month…” Severus said as he took the chair. “You’ll forgive me for only divulging those I deem most disruptive. I am trying to earn back a few good graces. But first…” He steepled his hands. “The necklace at the Quidditch game was given to the Hufflepuff hanger-on by Draco Malfoy.”

Setsuna sat up in her seat. “You’re sure?”

“Hmm.” Severus nodded. “It appears he can surprise you and me both. It _was_ his aunt’s idea.”

“Well I still should have seen him planning it,” Setsuna worried. She stood from her desk and retrieved the notebook she’d begun writing her thoughts in from its spot behind the Muggle Studies texts. “Even a warning of danger however vague…”

“It would appear the necklace was cursed in some way,” Severus said. “He said anyone who touched it would have immediately tried to seek out Dumbledore and kill him.”

“Which nearly did happen.”

“He said he had hoped for it to make its way into your hands,” Severus said. “Seems that was his aunt’s preferred course of action. Now, he told me he thought it’d inspire more fear coming from a first year. But I don’t believe it was any strategic planning that led him to hand it off to young Miss. Hino. Simple, youthful panic.” He shook his head. “I’m not certain I’ve handled as challenging a trial as this.”

“How long did he have the necklace?” Setsuna asked.

“A night, and he was the one who reached out to his aunt.”

 _Then I should have seen it!_ She realized. For she had looked for repercussions to the Malfoys’ arrest the night before the match, and Draco’s course from then through the end of the year had remained as stubbornly unchanged as Severus own, well-defined fate.

“If it is any consolation, I believe he has been convinced out of any further… impulsive measures,” Severus said. “But if we could move on.” He lifted his wanded hand and checked the watch on his wrist. “There’s several other things I am anxious to discuss.”

She nodded, mind still reeling from this new revelation and now itching to summon her doors and return to Haruka and Michiru in London – who were far better at putting her fears at ease than the cold comfort of her office.

Rather than her doors, she summoned the teakettle off the shelf, and set it to boil, settling in for a long conversation.

~ _SMH_ ~

“Every mind’s a bit different,” Morgana Avery instructed Michiru at one of their semi-regular lessons on November 14th. The young witch had the sleeves of her blue dragon-hide robes rolled up as she sat atop the hastily cleared desk in the Weasley twins’ office workshop. She was bent over a large, shallow cauldron. Michiru nodded, staring at the bubbling, pale-blue surface of the potion. It notably did not show her reflection, nor Morgana’s, nor the carved metal dragon that was hovering overhead spitting small, colourful candies into several bowls placed at the edges of the bookshelves.

“That’s what’s most helpful for you against a Legilimens,” Morgana continued. “They never know what your mind looks like before they enter it. So if you work your Occlumency right, they won’t find out how good you are.”

“Ow!” One of the twins broke their concentration, and Michiru and Morgana looked over at them where they were lounging on the maroon office couch, deconstructing a battered old Wizarding Wireless. The toy dragon flying about the office had spit a candy with such force that it had pelted George in the ear. He wagged his finger up at it. “Rude,” George told it, catching the next candy projectile in his hand. He and Fred looked over at them. “Bout to start?”

“The potion’s about done,” Morgana said. “What do you think?” she asked Michiru.

“It smells like vinegar,” Michiru commented, wrinkling her nose (though she supposed it was a far more practical method than learning Legilimens to see Morgana’s shields).

“Can we try it after?” Fred said.

“You could…” Morgana said, smirking at him. “Not sure any of us want to know what’s going on in your brain though.”

“Oh mischief and mayhem of the highest order,” Fred winked at her. “As well as several things I don’t think these other two should be privy to.”

“You should hear him when you’re not here,” George rolled his eyes, summoning a book off the opposite shelf. It hovered beside him as he continued de-constructing the wizarding wireless. “ _Oh, George,”_ he said in a higher voice. “ _Don’t you think she’s wickedly funny? And her hair – it cascades like a – ahh!”_ George laughed as Fred launched at him from across the couch,

Morgana raised her eyebrows and touched the black hair she kept cut at the level of her chin. “I think you need to revise your understanding of a cascade, boyfriend of mine,” she said to Fred.

“Or you could appreciate the sentiment,” Michiru murmured, Morgana saw her smirking and blushed.

“Well… In any case…” Morgana turned towards the potion again and so did Michiru. “I’ll use this today … and you can see what I’ve done.” She put her wand to her temple and closed her eyes.

A few moments later, she grimaced and drew her wand away, and with it a glowing thread. It was not unlike those Michiru had seen shimmering in the cabinet in Dumbledore’s office.

But this one was red.

Morgana released it into the cauldron, and the potion in it turned the same, vivid red color. The surface of it became translucent, so much that the gleaming bottom of the cauldron was visible.

“Well that looked positively mental,” George commented.

Morgana chuckled and settled herself more comfortably on the desk, crossing her legs and resting her hands on her knees. She closed her eyes “I’ve never actually used this,” she said. “So if you get lost in my head, I’m sorry ahead of time… but I’m pretty sure it will work.”

“Hmm…” Michiru leaned over the red potion again. Her hand hesitated as she lifted it away from the rim of the cauldron. Then she dipped her fingers into the potion.

It glowed, and suddenly Michiru was falling forwards, tumbling down through the red potion. As she fell, the color faded, until Michiru was looking only at darkness. The feeling of falling slowed and then ceased. She looked to the left and then right, then down, only darkness. “This is your mind?” Michiru wondered, staring into the dark. She looked up. There was a point of red light high above, the surface of the potion?

“ _You’re looking the wrong way,”_ Morgana said. And then Michiru noticed the shorter woman standing beside her, in the same blue dragon-hide robes. She was facing the opposite direction.

Michiru turned around. And stepped quickly back.

Looming over them, glaring down with deep, black, eye sockets, was the metallic image of a skull mask: with a gleaming metal beak where a nose might fit and spear shaped holes carved into a grill that formed the mouth.

“This is a Death Eater’s mask,” Michiru said.

 _“It’s my father’s_ ,” Morgana told her, looking up at the mask. “ _It used to hang over my bed. My mother always said it would protect me.”_ She shrugged. “ _I’ve thought of changing this shield for a while… but having it will probably be useful.”_ She walked up to the mask and put her hand on the imposing metal face. “ _This is the first obstacle a Legilimens would have to pass. So it should be quite forbidding. The more effort they have to put into forcing their way into your thoughts, the less energy they’ll have to navigate through the rest of your mind. Of course for our purposes…_ ” Morgana snapped her fingers.

The spear shaped grates over the mouth of the mask began to glow green and with a jarring groan the metal jaw opened, creating a doorway. Michiru peered closely into it as they walked forwards, expecting a hallway awash in green lights as there were in the Slytherin dorms.

Instead, as soon as they passed the threshold of the mask, the light changed from green to a pale lavender. Michiru blinked several times as she recognized the fog.

“ _I changed this recently_ ,” Morgana said, walking ahead of Michiru into the replica of the Time Dimension. “ _Your next set of Occlumency shields should be confusing. That sort are the most difficult to maintain, so ideally it should be either of two things: simple and familiar, or in this case…_ ” she gestured to the fog that moved around them in chaotic swirls. “ _A place whose function is the same as your goal.”_

“Will I get lost in here?” Michiru asked, turning all around. It looked slightly different from the Time Dimension. If she squinted she could see the rectangular outlines of several doors through the mist.

“ _I don’t think so,”_ Morgana said. “ _Not unless I want you to_.” She closed her eyes. “ _To keep a Legilimens out, you need the rest of your mind organized.”_ The fog faded, and the forms of seven identical doors appeared around them, a green or silver light above each one. “ _My mother recommended seven because it’s a magical number. Which works well enough. I keep something different behind each one_.” She pointed to the one on the far left. “ _Childhood_ ,” and then pointed to the others, naming them in turn: “ _Lessons, Friendships, Likes, Dislikes, Fears, Dreams_.” She turned to Michiru. “ _A Legilimens has to break into a particular one if they want to access certain information… and then they have to know which door they need. Most will run out of will power and their magic will fail before they’ve found what they want_.”

Michiru nodded. “And what about a particularly powerful one?”

“ _Like Voldemort?”_ Morgana said, and Michiru frowned as the Childhood and Fears doors both rattled. Morgana flushed. “ _Sorry… yes a strong Legilimens could get past no matter how good you were at hiding things… which brings me back to the fog_.” She closed her eyes again and the fog reappeared around them, obscuring the seven doors completely. “ _So let’s say they broke through that mask I had outside and got in here. This looks messy at first glance, and I could let it be messier… I can keep things here. Songs that have been stuck in my head…”_ The meandering tune of a pop song began to swirl around them along with the fog. “ _Reminders_.” Bits of stray parchment swirled past. Michiru caught one. _Dinner w/Penelope at 19:00._ “ _If I’ve had enough time to prepare something,_ ” Morgana said. “ _It could look like this too…”_

Suddenly a wind tickled Michiru’s arms and blew through her hair. The swirling motion of the fog intensified and snatches of conversation filled the space around them, all in Morgana’s voice: “ _Shield cloaks are out of stock… that’ll be 17 sickles and 5 knuts… Have I forgot the floo powder?... I hate that spell…”_

“It's a bit more chaotic.” Michiru murmured.

“ _Exactly.”_ Morgana said, her eyes still closed. The wind died down. The snatches of thought faded. “ _If I projected that to a Legilimens they’d assume I wasn’t a very powerful Occlumens, because they would think all my magic went into the mask and the rest of my mind was wide open.”_ Morgana opened her eyes and looked at Michiru. “ _If you can do that, it will allow you to do the most difficult thing you can do as an Occlumens: lie_.” Morgana kept her eyes closed. She was frowning, deep in concentration. She spread her hands wide. “ _Ask a question… one you know the answer to_.”

Michiru thought a moment. “Whom do you love?” she asked.

Morgana smirked and breathed his name as though it were a great secret: “ _Maximus Warrington.”_

Several doors hidden in the fog rattled and burst open and the room was at once full of memories. Michiru looked around and saw on the left: a beard-less Warrington sliding into the seat next to a younger Avery in class and leaning into her space; another of their first kiss under the mistletoe outside the Great Hall, Warrington cupping her face as she strained upwards on her tip toes to kiss the boy who’d just had a growth spurt.

And one last scene appeared in the fog: an angry Warrington walking away from Avery, who was glaring down at a textbook. Michiru heard him speak as he vanished into the fog. _“You don’t even let me copy your homework in class – what girlfriend doesn’t help her wizard pass his OWLS?”_

“ _You get the idea,”_ Morgana said, all the images fading away.

Michiru looked around the room again, imagining the seven doors spaced through the fog. “And you know these work?”

“ _They’ve been tested a few times,”_ Morgana admitted. “ _Never against any well-known Legilimens though.”_ She cocked her head. “ _You think there’s a weakness?”_

Michiru looked at the seven silver and green lights that denoted the doors’ positions in the fog. “Only that if you happened to be tired, I should think it would be easier for a mind-reader to get the truth out of you.”

Morgana nodded. _“I thought of that actually, which is another reason seven is a good number of doors.”_

“Why’s that?”

Morgana pointed up. And when Michiru looked, a trap door was materializing on the lavender ceiling of the room. “ _Most wizards wouldn’t look for an eighth.”_ It was the only door without a light over it, Michiru noticed, and the only door with a lock.

“ _Secrets,”_ Morgana whispered. And then she and the scene around them melted away into darkness once again.

Michiru looked up, seeing the red light from the surface of their cauldron. She reached for it.

She rushed upwards and the cauldron tossed her into the air. She landed on her feet on the workshop floor.

On the desk, Morgana opened her eyes and stretched. She reached for her wand and put the tip into the shallow cauldron, drawing the red-thread out. It strained towards her, rushing back into her temple.

The sky outside had darkened since they’d started – so much so that one of the twins had lit the red lamps around the workroom. The two had gone now, and taken the wizarding wireless they’d been tinkering with away with them. The toy dragon still circled overhead, and its small candies were now strewn all across the floor.

“So that’s how Occlumency shields will look,” Morgana said, “if you get very good at it.”

“And how long does it take to be very good?” Michiru asked. “Because most books say you need to practice for years.”

“Well that’s why I let you see mine – now you have a target to build towards, you might do it more quickly.” Morgana frowned at her shoes. “You paint don’t you? Designing Occlumency shields should be no trouble for you to visualize.”

“But how long did it take you to learn?” Michiru pressed.

Morgana shrugged. “I don’t know really… I could resist a Legilimens by the time I was nine, but I didn’t properly learn Occlumency until I read a book on it when I was twelve.” She looked out the window. “I had the mask-shield made in a month after I’d read about the theory. The room with the doors I’ve built up over time. It’s changed a lot. Get’s easier each time though.”

“How did you learn it so early?” Michiru murmured.

Morgana kept staring out the window.

“You don’t have to tell me.”

The stout, black-haired Slytherin shook her head. “No, it’s alright… it’s only an old pure-blooded thing,” she said without looking away from the window. “There’s an tradition that thinks book learning’s… subpar… And another that you can absolutely use magic before you’re eleven, it’s only the uncivilized muggleborns that can’t.” She sighed and whipped her wand over the cauldron, vanishing the potion inside. “My mother and father are two who believe that, and that you never learn to do a thing properly unless you’re put in a situation where you need to learn it. And my mother decided after I’d started displaying magic consistently, that I would probably need Occlumency given ‘the times.’ She decided if I were faced with a Legilimens, I would become a good Occlumens.” Morgana Avery waved her wand again. The cauldron on the desk shrank and levitated up onto the shelves at the back of the workroom, tucking itself between two, thick potions tomes. “She wasn’t a Legilimens herself, but it’s easy enough to hire a tutor.”

“And all pureblood families do that?” Michiru asked, crossing her arms.

“No, but everyone of my mother’s friends did. And they were right: some of us did become good Occlumens.” Morgana shrugged. “And then… some of us became Gregory Goyle…”

Michiru stared at Morgana as she shook her head, hopped off the desk and set about returning it to its original state of chaos. Papers and trinkets that had flown to the shelves upon the start of their lesson today rushed back, hovering in the air. A new item would rush down to the desktop each time Morgana flicked her eyes to a new spot. Her wand, Michiru noticed, was occupied with packaging up the potion brewing supplies, then to changing the lamp lights around the office from red hued to a calming silver, all without a word.

Most wix, Michiru had noticed, fell back on simpler magic and voiced spells when they were tired or upset. Morgana Avery seemed to default to the opposite, as if the restraint she used her magic with during the day fell away as the effort of appearing unremarkable exhausted her.

 _And perhaps she really is exceptionally powerful,_ Michiru reasoned, _but I’ve also seen older wix do this sort of thing without any trouble. So perhaps her childhood has allowed her to develop her magic more quickly…_

Morgana’s plan, to her understanding, was to use the potion every week so that Morgana could judge the progress of Michiru’s Occlumency shields, but their creation would be entirely dependent on Michiru’s discipline.

 _I’m like her though,_ Michiru thought. _I’m better when I’m challenged._

She’d thought of her request by the time Morgana’d got done returning all the twin’s paperwork to disorder. But she waited to voice it until all the objects had left the air, and until Morgana Avery had lowered her wand, and leaned against the front of the desk.

“You’re a Legilimens as well aren’t you?” Michiru guessed. Morgana’s head snapped up. “I can’t think you of all people would have settled for knowing only half of a skill.”

“I am. But I hate doing it!” Avery said, crossing her arms. “Wait – you’re not suggesting…”

“If it helped you develop Occlumency quickly, then it can help me too.”

“But – but it feels awful. It can be as bad as a Dementor!”

“All the more reason I should practice against you then,” Michiru said. “I can’t just build impressive looking shields in the hope that they’ll be enough.” She took out her wand. “I need to know how effective – or ineffective they are.”

“Then… then couldn’t you ask Dumbledore?” Avery pleaded. “Or Snape!”

“I’m asking you,” Michiru said. “I trust you.”

Avery’s shoulders sagged. She shook head, swearing under her breath.

“It would be good practice for you too, I should think,” Michiru observed, “In case the new Dark Mark detector over the shop door fails like the last.”

“Fine,” Morgana snapped. She lifted her wand as well. “I never thought I’d be on this side of it.”

“You’re in a lot of places you never foresaw for yourself.”

Morgana shook her head, closing her eyes. “You’ve got me there.” The pureblood witch straightened her stance. “Right. Anything you don’t want me to see, imagine locking it up behind something. Doesn’t matter what.”

Michiru did, defaulting immediately to the Aqua Mirror, its image an easy one for her to conjure. After a few minutes she nodded and opened her eyes. “Ready,” she said. “Don’t go easy on me.”

Morgana smirked, eyes still closed. “Wasn’t.” Then she whipped her wand out, levelling it on Michiru, and trained her with a piercing, grey-eyed glare. “ _Legilimens!”_

~ _SMH_ ~

It was 19:15 on November 21st when Andromeda Tonks, fresh from her shift at Mungos, slipped out of Garrick Ollivander’s room in the attic of Grimmauld place and looked at its six residents all leaning against the wall outside. She shook her head. “As impatient as Dora, the lot of you.” She nodded to Remus. “He’s doing much better today. I’m… _willing_ to permit a brief discussion. _Not,”_ she glared at Sirius, _“_ an interrogation.”

Sirius rolled his eyes. “This is kind of time-sensitive, Andy. The man understands that.”

“And not everyone can be right as rain just weeks after being liberated from prison,” Andromeda snapped back. “A _brief_ discussion,” she repeated in a firmer tone.

Hamish Stebbins raised his one hand, taking a large step away from the wall. “Can I do it?” he asked, looking to Sirius and Remus, Haruka and Michiru, and last at Rigel. “I’ve been dying for something to do.”

All of them nodded, and he turned to Andromeda, shifting uncomfortably. The healer had a habit of studying the stump that had once been his right arm whenever she visited, and she was doing so now.

“You’re the Hufflepuff one?” Andromeda checked. Stebbins nodded. That seemed all that was needed to convince the grey-haired witch, for she flicked her wand and stepped aside as the door of Ollivander’s room creaked wide-open once more. “Nice questions to start,” she said. “You have _twenty_ minutes. That’s how long it’ll take me to fix up his medicine. After that you’re to leave him alone about all this Dark Lord business for a while.” And she bustled away, waving and calling over her shoulder. “Sirius – come help.”

“Bossy as ever,” Sirius muttered, a fond smile on his face as he shrugged and followed her towards the stairs.

Stebbins looked one more time at the rest of Grimmauld’s residents, who gave him encouraging smiles. Then he turned and strode into Ollivander’s recovery room, where all the lights, save the bright reading lamp, were turned down low for the night.

Once, Hamish Stebbins could have been as quiet as a cat despite his large frame, but without his right arm he was still regaining that skill. More often than not he felt unbalanced now, reflected in the way his feet thudded loudly with every step. He drew Ollivander’s eye away from his book as soon as he’d crossed the threshold of the man’s room.

“Mr. Stebbins,” Ollivander said as he closed his book and placed it on the bedspread, as eerily familiar with Hamish as he’d been when Hamish had first gone to his shop at the age of eleven. “If I recall… cypress and unicorn hair… 12 and ¼ inches, quite stubborn.”

Hamish smiled and took the chair beside the bed that Andromeda had vacated. As he did, he reached into his robes and drew his wand, getting a grip on it more quickly in his left hand than he would have even a month ago. He took a moment to examine the smooth cypress wood in the candlelight. He hadn’t polished it in far too long. “Yeah – you said that meant I’d grow quite tall – and you were right.” He laughed a little and set the wand down on the bed, noting the Ollivander studied it and his stump like Andromeda had. “I think I asked then what it meant that it was stubborn and you said that was more me than it,” he laughed again, in a weaker tone. “Been wishing recently I’d been picked by a flexible one instead.”

“How has it been in the left hand?” Ollivander said, adjusting his glasses. “Un-usable or simply difficult.”

“Depends how I’m feeling,” Stebbins told him. “Haven’t tried in a while. Took up something else – sword fighting. Getting good at that.” He shook his head. “I’m glad you’re doing better.”

“Much better,” Ollivander said. “I’ve known since her wand chose her that one could depend on Andromeda Tonks, she continues to prove the old wisdom right.” He settled back against his pillows. “I don’t know that anything I’ve overheard will be particularly helpful, but I’ll tell you everything I can.”

Stebbins drummed his fingers on his knee. Best to just get the first one out of the way. “Do you know why Voldemort kidnapped you?”

“My profession,” Ollivander said. “You see: he is seeking a wand.” Stebbins leaned in to listen as Ollivander gazed into the slowly flickering light from his bedside lamp. “He is concerned first of all by the quandary presented by the twin cores of he and young Mr. Potter’s wands, and I was tasked with designing a suitable replacement for him. At first he simply had me sort through those wands they took from others they had kidnapped, but he grew frustrated the more of them I said were unsuitable for his needs… I offered to make him a custom wand, but he believed, rightly that I would attempt to sabotage it. So of late,” Ollivander sighed, “he had moved on to asking me simply to advice him on the lore of wand craft – an exhaustive study even if a lifetime is committed to it.” He looked at Stebbins. “He has been quite concerned over the _power_ in a wand, particularly as he has now been foiled by Mr. Potter _and_ Miss. Tomoe.”

“He’s mentioned Hotaru?” Stebbins asked.

“And several of her other extra ordinary friends,” Ollivander nodded. “You-know-who does not want his victory upset by them, and he finds Miss. Tomoe’s survival of the killing curse particularly unsettling. He did not tell me as much… but I assume he fears he is also less powerful now than he was before Harry Potter defeated him.”

“So he is looking for a new wand?” Stebbins asked. “And… and how else did you advice him?”

Ollivander hung his head.

“I didn’t want to say anything,” Ollivander confessed in a shaking voice. “But… he has ways.”

Stebbins waited.

“He… gathered from my vast recollections a legend that we wandmakers take quite seriously, and many of his Death Eaters told him it was farce… I did too. I tried. But last month he seemed particularly in-incentiv-vised. He asked me to… um. Tell him the story as I had been t-told it. And then… to speak to it’s… veracity.”

“Story?” Stebbins murmured. Though he did not press the old wandmaker, who was now shivering beneath his covers.

Ollivander continued on after a minute. “He seeks the Elder wand,” he whispered. “You know it, from the story?”

“The fairy-tale?”

“Fairy-tales always start with a core of truth,” Ollivander said, smiling wanly. “There’s… no confirmation of course. The last wandmaker to boast of having the Elder wand was Gregorvich.” Ollivander hung his head. “Whom You-know-who now seeks… because of _me._ ”

Stebbins swallowed a lump in his throat. But he could hear Andromeda Tonks’ quick steps ascending the stairs. They needed to know. “He’s leaving the country then?”

“He is planning to,” Ollivander said. “He wants to find Gregorvich quickly. I am grateful I do not know his exact address.” He looked at Stebbins. “The journey will take him perhaps a week. Perhaps a bit more. He brought… one of his trusted down to see me the day before I was rescued. She will be accompanying him.”

The way Ollivander shivered, Stebbins felt no need to ask who the woman had been.

Andromeda Tonks footsteps were coming down the hall.

“Thank you,” Stebbins said, reaching out and squeezing Ollivander’s left hand. “This is going to help us a lot.” He stood. “Do you need anything else?”

“Not especially,” Ollivander said as Andromeda came through the door.

“Hello, Dear,” she smiled as she approached the bed, carrying a tray. “Mr. Stebbins has been nice, I hope.” She directed a sharp look at him and he stepped away from the bed. Andromeda passed the tray she was holding down to Ollivander. “You didn’t eat much earlier; I thought you might try again. The tea’s your medicine. Drink _all_ of it this time. I know: it tastes foul, but I promise you’ll be singing its praises soon.”

As she settled the tea in Ollivander’s hands Stebbins tried extra hard to be light on his feet as he walked towards the door.

“A moment,” Ollivander called softly.

Stebbins turned round again.

“Some wands do better in a right hand than a left,” Ollivander said. “Your first was one. I would be happy to craft you another. However, if you’ve grown found of the sword…” His eyes scrutinized Stebbins. “My great-uncle had a fondness for them, no where near the knowledge of the goblins mind you, but I recall two things from his notes…

“When you craft a sword capable of magic,” Ollivander said. “It requires the infusion of a core material, something more conducive to magic than the metal ores.” He cleared his throat and recited as if from a verse: “Opal’s essence and their like are preferred by those of darker means. Those of the light find friends in the crystals of Spodumene.” He coughed as he got out the last word and Andromeda began to fuss over him.  
“Sage words from someone who’d do well to save his voice for when he’s stronger,” she admonished, shooing Stebbins from the room.

He eased the door shut as he left, turning first to Haruka and Michiru, “Voldemort’s planning a trip abroad,” he said. “From the way Ollivander talks he plans to make it soon.”

Then he looked towards Rigel and couldn’t hold back his grin. “And… he knows how you make a magic sword… I don’t know if he could do it, but maybe… if we could find a normal sword-smith, we could do the magic bit.”

“Where ever you find one of those these days,” Haruka muttered.

“Oh!” Sirius caught their attention as he jumped up, waving his hand. “Funny enough I know a guy – not dark at all, I’m fairly sure he’s a squib, he had that vibe about him. So he wouldn’t bat an eye at the magic bit.”

“He means the man he met at a Renaissance fair when we were 19,” Remus rolled his eyes. “There’s plenty of people out there who know swords even if the magical craft is not widely known.” He looked at Stebbins. “Why’s Voldemort going on a trip abroad?”

Stebbins hesitated, and the five of his teammates gathered in the hall immediately grew somber. Sirius merry grin faded. “He’s looked for the wandmaker, Gregorvich,” Stebbins said. “He’s… seeking the Elder wand.”

Rigel’s eyes bugged out of his head. Remus, of all people swore.

“Hang on?” Haruka said, holding up her hand. “What’s the Elder wand?”

_~SMH~_

At 20:15 on Monday, November 25th, Harry Potter left his homework half-done on one of the study tables in Gryffindor tower, and made his way to his second lesson with Dumbledore. He threw his invisibility cloak on as he walked out the portrait hole.

Not that there was any need for it. He’d return to Gryffindor well before the sixth year curfew and Dumbledore _had_ invited him. But it felt somehow secret all the same. Harry was sure Malfoy would care if he were getting lessons about Voldemort from the Headmaster, and if not Malfoy than he was sure there were others.

Upon reaching the second floor, he heard the whisper of footsteps on the tiles behind him and turned round. But it was only Hotaru making her way down to their lesson just like him. He waved, the cloak still on. But she didn’t notice.

Well that scrapped one of Hermione’s errant theories at least. Harry threw off the hood of the cloak.

Hotaru jumped, conjuring her glaive out of the air and levelling it at his nose before noticing who he was.

“Harry?” She sighed and vanished the weapon, directing a smile at him. “Sorry.”

“Good instincts though,” he complimented her, unclipping the cloak. “I just didn’t want anyone to follow.”

“That’s a good plan,” Hotaru said, ducking under the cloak with him. She shivered as the material touched her shoulders. “What do they make these out of?”

“Dunno,” Harry shrugged. “Always thought you’d be able to see through it.”

“Not at all,” Hotaru frowned. “I didn’t even sense your energy in the hall,” she said, as he slowed his long strides to match her steps. “I hope there’s not a lot of these.”

“I think they’re pretty rare,” Harry assured her as they moved closer to the wing that held Dumbledore’s office. “This is the only one I’ve ever seen anyways.”

It was five more minutes walk until they reached the statue of the Gargoyle, and “ _Mars Bars”_ got them onto the moving staircase beyond it.

“Right on time,” Dumbledore beamed at them as he directed them to the two armchairs opposite his desk. “Lemon Drop?” he asked, and they shook their heads. He helped himself though, plucking three of the candies out of the bowl on his desk. He held the first aloft and they stared as Fawkes swooped in and gobbled it up in his beak. He settled back on his perch and belched out a small burst of yellow flames before closing his eyes and relaxing on the perch.

Hotaru tucked her legs beneath her and gazed fondly at the bird. “His burning day’s tomorrow isn’t it?”

“Is it?” Dumbledore asked as he reached behind him into the cabinet of Pensieve memories and selected one. “That’s good to know, he’s been very ill of late, quite irritable – ahah!” he took a vial with a bright thread within it out of the cabinet. “This is what we shall be looking at today. One of my own, as it happens.” He flicked his eyes to Hotaru as he uncorked the vial and cocked his head to the side. “You are still wearing the Resurrection Stone, Miss. Tomoe?”

Harry looked. The ring Dumbledore had given her at their first lesson was still on her finger, gleaming as if it had recently been polished. “Have you used it?” he asked.

“No,” Hotaru said, gazing at the dark stone. “I’ve cleaned it. It’s very pretty. And it’s quite calming when I take tests in class…” she brushed her thumb over the top. “But no, I haven’t used it. I thought maybe I’d want to, to see Papa… but I don’t need to.” She looked round. “A part of him’s always here, I think. It’d be quite selfish to demand the rest of him linger here as well.” Then she smiled. “I think it does give me dreams of him sometimes though. And of Mama, my first one I mean. Those are very nice.”

“Fascinating,” Dumbledore murmured. “And… no,” he shook his head. “My curiosity can wait,” he beckoned to the Pensieve as he poured the memory in. “We’ve important things to discuss before the night’s through.”

They nodded and Hotaru grabbed hold of Harry’s hand. Together, they leaned into the Pensieve, and into Dumbledore’s first encounter with 11-year-old Tom Riddle.

_~SMH~_

Setsuna could not recall another time in her existence where she had given into the entirely too human urge to whine about the pace of the universe. But in the six days between learning Voldemort would be taking a trip abroad and the Thursday evening where Professor Slughorn would supposedly divulge crucial information to her, Setsuna found herself irritated for the first time by the seconds that ticked past ceaselessly in the back of her head, and debating how much of her energy it would waste to urge them to tick past just a little bit faster. When _at last_ the morning of the 28th of November came, it left her with a new appreciation for how the mere passage of time could grate on a mortal.

As well an appreciation for the baffling ingenuity of wix…

“Today just felt like a decent day for it is all,” Slughorn said as he sat two seats down from Setsuna at the Breakfast table.

Siting between she and Slughorn, Severus glanced over at him and rolled his eyes. “The lengths some will go,” he muttered.

“Oh come now Severus,” Slughorn tutted, which caught Setsuna’s attention. She and Rolonda Hooch – who sat on Setsuna’s left – leaned around Severus in interest.

The Defense professor was shaking his head and ignoring Slughorn, who was delicately easing the top off of a small potion vial, within which a golden potion gleamed even in the dull light given off by the dark clouds rolling across the ceiling.

Slughorn tipped the contents of the vial into his pumpkin juice. “Severus and I disagree on this particular brew,” Slughorn said. “He thinks it leads to foolishness, but I’ve been _lucky_ with this twice, and I’ve a good feeling about today. I truly do.”

“What is it?” Setsuna murmured to Rolonda Hooch.

“Beats me,” she shrugged. “Looks a bit like piss in my opinion.”

“It’s _Felix Felicius_!” Slughorn chortled, taking a hearty swig of his drink.

“Liquid Luck,” Severus said plainly. “Which he still thinks it wise to dole out as a ‘prize’”

“That I do!” Slughorn cheered. “I gave it to you once, in fact, what ever’d you do with it?”

Severus remained silent, for enough time to catch Minerva’s attention. She looked over Hooch’s head at him with one eyebrow raised. She recognized the particular brand of distain on Severus face. He’d only ever reserved it for two people after all.

“Unless you gave it to someone else,” Slughorn was considering in lieu of Severus reply. “I have had many students go that route pursuing fits of romantic whimsy.”

“I always thought Lily won the potion’s contest that year,” Minerva said, sipping her tea.

“I gifted the _Felix Felicius_ to her after class,” Severus said through gritted teeth. “A peace offering, if you will.”

“Ha,” Mcgonagall smiled. “Well it went to good use in any case – she saved it, I believe, until the first day of seventh year. She told me she was nervous about being the Head Girl and about who the Head Boy would be.”

“Is that how she got hold of it!” Slughorn realized merrily. “Oh splendid! She told me about it too you see – I was ever so glad. I like to see how the luck pans out for different people. Why she told me she took it just as she got on the train that morning – and six hours later she’s sitting down with James Potter, arm in arm. Why the both of them could not stop staring at each other.”

“Excuse me,” Severus said, standing so quickly he knocked his chair over. He left it on the ground. “It appears one of my students is on fire.”

They all looked down at the Slytherin table where smoke was rising from about halfway down the rows. Though no student appeared to be in flames.

“Ah – he’s such a good Head of House, isn’t he?” Slughorn grinned, waving his wand to right Severus chair. He moved to take it, and his elbow bumped Setsuna’s. “Anyways yes,” he downed another large gulp of his spiked pumpkin juice. “I just felt it had been quite a few years since I’ve had a particularly lucky day. And I decided, why not now, eh?”

Setsuna was about to tell him there was no such thing as _luck_ the way he was understanding it, when the morning post came in, and an owl flew up to Slughorn.

“Ohhh!” He took the note from the owl eagerly, only a bit of folded parchment, blank from what Setsuna could see. “Oh this is clever of them – using a dark owl – not dark magic mind, just a couple delightful charms on the beasty that help it ‘fly under the tracking charms’ so to speak.” He held a whole plate of bacon up to the messenger owl as he reviewed the note once more and burnt it. Setsuna felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. This was it surely, the crucial puzzle piece he was meant to give her today.

“It appears I’ll be in Hogsmeade for lunch,” he said. “ _Lucky_ thing all my prep work for the day is done.” He turned to Setsuna as the owl flew off. “You see – it is not just me who benefits from a _lucky_ day. That was one of my contacts in the Ministry – you’ve been asking me for weeks if I had anything else on the unplottable properties, and they’ve just come through for me.” He dug into his omelette. “Ah – they outdid themselves this morning that’s a perfect flavour. Oh! You know,” he said. “The Slug Club is meeting tonight. Why don’t you join us, Setsuna, if you’re not busy that is? Why the students have been absolutely dismayed every week you can’t make it.”

“I’d go,” Rolonda Hooch muttered. “Everyone loves when I’m at parties.”

“Well the office can only fit ten or eleven sad to say,” Slughorn said with a truly regretful tone. He perked up quickly though. “Oh – but you are more than welcome at the Christmas Party. I’ll have Gwenog Jones there. She’s,”

“Captain of the Harpies, yes Rolonda tells us all the time,” Setsuna said, itching to leave her seat and start the day, as if that would get it to _hurry up_. “Yes, I’ll be at the Club dinner. You’ll have your contact’s information by then?”

“I will! And I have _lucky_ feeling about it.” He nodded. “They’d never take so many precautions unless they had something especially marvellous to pass along to me. I knew it was a good day for this.” He took the empty vial off the table and kissed it.

At some point, she really would need to look up exactly _how_ one bottled luck of all insane and ridiculous inventions of the human imagination. Furthermore she needed to investigate whether Lestrange didn’t have a stockpile of the stuff because that would explain more than it didn’t about the past few months.

But for the duration of November 28th, all Setsuna could focus on were the seconds that seemed to tick by slower and slower with each passing hour despite knowing it was entirely illogical of them.

Slughorn was not at lunch, nor did she see him on their shared free period that afternoon. At that time, she found when she looked through the time sands, he was busy talking to one of his NEWT students (which was a pity, as it meant she really did have to go to the dinner if she had any hope of getting the information from him today).

That was one habit of the Potion master’s she found irritating: he seemed to have no sense of urgency about the information he collected for her, and he always insisted it be passed along over dinner, citing that information was always relayed better when one took the proper time to discuss it. There’d been two such dinners with him so far, which had been entertaining enough in their own right. It had given her several opportunities to ply his potions knowledge though she’d yet to entrust to him the reason for her interest. Perhaps she ought to, Setsuna thought. After all he had decades of potions expertise compared to Severus, maybe telling him the nature of Lestrange’s deception against her would not be so ill advised.

The dinner itself dragged on: Even the presence of six of her Divination students and four of her muggle studies students could not hold her attention. None of her scouts were in attendance tonight.

Which was a pity, as the conversation that ensued could not hold her attention. For sure it was a genial affair: Horace Slughorn seemed a master of directing inane small talk into interesting conversations, or at least framing small talk as if it should be interesting. It seemed the conversations about Quidditch, wizarding research, and the gossip of Wizarding society agreed with all the students in attendance, though it left Setsuna with the urge to drum her fingers on the table. She resisted – barely.

 _Finally,_ once three courses had been consumed and Lavender Brown, Pavarti Patil and Slughorn had carried on a conversation about Witch Weekly for _thirty-two-and-a-half_ minutes, Slughorn checked the clock and exclaimed that as it was Thursday night, the ten students surely had homework to do, which prompted Zacharius Smith to look at Setsuna and pale, surely realizing he had not yet started the essay she’d set the Muggle Studies class. He scrambled out first, and the others thanked Slughorn for dinner and followed him in ones and twos from the room.

The last were Lavender and Pavarti who ducked out of the office and – between giggles – wished them both a wonderful evening.

“Precocious aren’t they,” Slughorn chuckled, waving his wand. The dinner dishes vanished from the table. He waved it again and the glass cabinet at the back of his office opened: a dark red bottle of wine and two crystal glasses settling on the table as new, clean dishes appeared in front of them – alongside a platter of desserts.

“That Truddy – still the head elf now. I could hardly believe it. And she’s as good as her word as she ever is.” He poured her a glass of wine and held it out to her. “Muggle brand, I wonder if you’ve heard if it. I know quite a few wizards who swear by the magical vineyards down in the Pyrenees, but I’ve always thought muggles do it better. Now,” he said as she took the glass. “I _know_ you have been waiting all day to find out what information my contact at the ministry passed along to me. I’m hoping you’ll wait just a little longer,” he smiled, waving a hand to the desserts that ringed the circular silver platter. “War is such a tiresome thing. It bleaches the vivacity and beauty out of the little moments. And I admire the way you seem to throw yourself towards it – I would not have the energy to think of such dark things every waking moment. I scarcely get the chance to speak with you about anything else. So I’m hoping we might put off the war to enjoy the moment a while longer.”

Setsuna frowned. “I appreciate the whimsy Professor Slughorn,”

“Horace,” he reminded her, sipping his wine.

“But unfortunately war is a time sensitive matter and this _particular_ one is on an ever tightening schedule.” She took the wine and took a sip of it. It was not her favorite, but it did hit the spot after such a long week. “The unplottables,” she prompted Slughorn.

Slughorn sighed and glumly stared at his wine glass, giving it a swirl. “Tis the unfortunate thing about luck,” he murmured. “You end up believing a little too much of it.” and before she had puzzled out what he meant, she was distracted, for he set his glass down and withdrew a paper from his pocket. Setsuna snatched it when he held it out and unfolded it.

_Dafydd Dawlish_

“He worked as an Unplotter between 1948 to 1959 – hired straight out of Hogwarts as well, bright lad. He was one of my first club members actually. Terrible shame how he ended up as well. I always wondered about it until this afternoon.”

“The Ministry, you see, doesn’t like to admit when its erred, especially with things like dark wizards, and so when my associate uncovered this story, they felt there was enough peculiar about it that it might pique my interest.

“Dafydd,” Slughorn said, “Was arrested for smuggling classified spells out of the ministry, but before he could go to trial, he went mad, and shortly after being moved to Saint Mungos, he died. Cause was always listed as a seizure but… now I know the truth.

“What he smuggled out,” Slughorn said, “were materials for an unplotting, and a big one at that. My associate said the original record’s stored deep in the archives and when they looked at it they noted he’d brought materials to disguise water features – which are more difficult as water’s always moving about.”

“This was in 1959?” Setsuna checked.

“Yes,” Slughorn said, leaning in, his voice dropped to a whisper. “He was caught of course, when he came into work the next day. Before they took his wand, he attempted to obliviate himself, went mad… as well… this was unremarkable at the time, but a dead giveaway now.” He took an yellowed, old photo from his pocket and put it on the table between them. “My associate knew immediately why they didn’t want this to leak.”

Setsuna’s eyes widened as she stared at the picture: there preserved in the sepia-tinted ink was a man’s forearm, with a snake and skull crudely carved into the skin. It was different from other Dark Marks she had seen, but unmistakable all the same.”

“He went to Mungos of course,” Slughorn said. “Hard to put a mad man in Azkaban in good conscience. And the ministry very much wanted to know _why_ he had done this. They never knew. He was dead a week later.”

“Uh-huh.” Setsuna took the photo and the parchment with the name and stood. “Thank you,” she said to Slughorn, standing from the table.

“Oh surely you’re not leaving!” he protested.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s very rude, I know. But you and I feel the same about war: it poisons everything caught up in it. And thus, when presented with information that could bring it closer to its closure, I think you’ll understand why I can’t wait.” Then, feeling obliged to make it up to him she smiled. “But perhaps we could meet for a more casual dinner soon.”

Slughorn smiled. “I’d be delighted,” he said, standing and moving to his office door. He held it open for her. “I do hope you’ll tell me how this pans out.”

“I will,” she promised and the ever-cheerful potions professor held out his hand to her. She shook it, feeling as though he held on a bit too long, and she considered for a moment whether or not Hotaru was right that he liked her in some more-than-colleagues sort of way. _I’ll worry about it later,_ she decided as she summoned her doors and stepped through.

For now, there were things that needed finding out.

~ _SMH_ ~

“ _AND THERE’S THE WHISTLE – AWW NO! YOU’D THINK CHAMBERS WOULD HAVE THE HEIGHT ADVANTAGE – FIRST 10 TO SLYTHERIN!”_

Sir. Jadeite wondered how Colin had managed to announce the last in such an undyingly cheerful tone, and supposed that perhaps it was Mcgonagall sitting next to him in the teachers box that were helping keep his preferences in check.

They scanned the pitch from their post up in one of the empty tower boxes, the gleaming white and vivid red-gold of their uniform had drawn quite a few eyes from the Quidditch players when they’d done their lap of the pitch. They supposed that was why Venus had given them this particular post: standing atop a tower decked out in Gryffindor red and gold, their matching colors did not stand out so much to the crowds below.

The same logic did not help Sailors Uranus and Neptune blend into the background. They were perched on the towers opposite Jadeite’s, and many a set of Omnioculars gleamed in the bright sunlight as they were trained away from the Ravenclaw-Slytherin Quidditch game and up at the two Senshi.

 _Thank god no one’s thinks I’m interesting by comparison,_ Jadeite thought, still unsure exactly how fool proof the glamour their transformation provided was. How did the whole student body not recognize Ginny Weasley? For goodness sakes – their hair was still in the same braid!

“ _OH BUT PROPS TO CORNER – RAVENCLAW’S RECOVERED THE BALL! AND HE PASSES TO KEELAN – SECOND YEAR, DON’T USUALLY SEE CHASERS THAT SMALL. KEELAN TO BELBY – TO CORNER. I THINK ALL THIS PASSING’S DRIVING SLYTHERIN MAD.”_

In the back of the Hufflepuff stands, Sailor Jupiter, disguised under her black and yellow cloak, smirked up at the tight formation of Ravenclaw chasers circling their way down the pitch. She could see the Slytherin Chasers scowling from here. She watched Ida Keelan circle behind the hoops, feign right, and lob a quick pass to Michael Corner who thwacked the Quaffle through the left-most hoop.

“10 POINTS TO RAVENCLAW!”

“Yes!” the smaller person sitting atop the wall of the pitch beside her exclaimed. Jupiter looked over at her. Like her, Akira Hino wore a black and yellow cloak with the hood pulled over her forehead. Jupiter wondered if there wasn't a tiara and a Sailor uniform hidden underneath and wondered what Akira’s looked like when it wasn’t covered in molten rock.

She followed Akira’s gaze: She was staring across the pitch at the lively Slytherin stands. Makoto put her gloved hand on Akira’s shoulder.

“If they try anything today we’re gonna stop it fast,” Jupiter promised her. “And Mars and Venus and I are gonna stick to you like glue.”

“I’m okay!” Akira insisted, as she had every day since Madam Pince had released her from the Hospital Wing. “I don’t even remember it.”

 _“AND THAT’S A SOLID BEAT FROM QUIRK!”_ Colin Creevey cheered. _“RAVENCLAW’S BACK IN POSE – OH THAT’S GOTTA HURT – CRABBE’S GOT TO HAVE DISLOCATED KEELAN’S SHOULDER WITH THAT ONE – SLYTHERIN’S GOT THE QUAFFLE!”_

 _“_ That’s got to be a penalty!” Ron Weasley exclaimed. “That practically hit her in the back!”

“Practically’s the key word,” Katie Bell said to him. “Damnit they’ve got both Bludgers now too.”

“They’ve still got to get it past Chambers” Dean assured them. “Even you have trouble scoring on him he’s built like a fridge.”

“What’s a Fridge?” Seamus asked looking at Dean and then at Ron. “Where’s Ginny?”

“Err,” Ron’s eyes flicked to the tower overhead. “She’s… sitting with Harry,” he fibbed. He hadn’t a clue where Harry was, though if he had to guess he’d bet he was stalking Malfoy over in the Slytherin stands.

“Are they hooking up now?” Dean exclaimed and then flushed. “Err – Oh crap, she’s your sister ain’t she. Sorry.”

“I thought you said you broke up with her?” Seamus said, frowning at him.

“I – I did! I am! I… it’s complicated,” Dean sighed. “Don’t ask me how cause it’s too complicated to explain.”

Seamus rolled his eyes. “Whatever mate, not like I care.” He flicked his eyes to the back of the stands. “Those four look a bit tenser than usual.”

Ron looked behind him. Mina, Rei, Sora, and Usagi were perched on the wall of the pitch, wearing the hoods of their cloaks over their foreheads. “Um.”

“Well _of course_ they’re a bit on edge,” Hermione said, coming to his rescue, bless her. “After the first game who isn’t – and Hotaru’s playing in this one.”

“ _THAT CIRCLE FORMATION’S BACK… SLOW RUN UP THE PITCH – OH HOLY SH-SORRY PROFESSOR! SLYTHERIN SENDS A DOUBLE BEAT DOWN ON RAVENCLAW… AND QUIRKS GOT IT! QUIRK AND THE OTHER ONE…THE BEATER WITH THE POINTY EARS. IS THAT OFFENSIVE? SORRY! ACKERLEY! HIS NAME’S ACKERLEY – OH THAT’S ANOTHER 10! 20-10 TO RAVENCLAW!”_

The crowded blue stands in front of them erupted in cheering as scarves and hats were waved in the air. Mercury smiled.

“I think we’ve a decent chance of winning the cup this year,” Luna said. The fifth year was sitting on her left, wearing her hooded cloak over her forehead just like Mercury’s so that she and Megumi Meioh would look “less conspicuous sitting above everyone.”

Megumi squeaked.

“TOMOE’S ENTERED A DIVE EVERYBODY – OH NASTY LUCK CRABBE’S JUST KNOCKED HER INTO A TAILSPIN – DON’T LOOK LIKE THE SLYTHERIN SEEKER’S GONNA HAVE ANY LUCK THOUGH. IF THAT SNITCH WAS THERE BEFORE IT’S LONG GONE NOW!”

“She’s fine.” Mercury told Megumi, tracking Hotaru as she circled back towards the Ravenclaw hoops. “Look even her broom’s intact.”

“I know,” Megumi said, ducking her head lower. “Doesn’t make watching it any easier.”

Mercury smiled, “I’m sure you’re not the only one who thinks that.” She looked upwards: Sure enough in the teachers box and in two of the empty boxes high overhead, Setsuna, Uranus, and Neptune were leaning over the walls, watching Hotaru and glaring at Vincent Crabbe.

“ANOTHER SLYTHERIN ATTEMPT – OH MY GOD BLUDGER! BUT QUIRK INTERCEPTS – OOH! RIGHT IN THE STOMACH. THAT TAKES GUTS... ER, PUN NOT INTENDED. AND THAT’S A SAVE! STILL 20-10! FOR RAVENCLAW”

“Should have hit her harder,” Theodore Nott criticized from his place two rows behind Chibiusa, who clenched her hands around the wood wall of the stands and resisted punching him in the face.

“What – No!” Hestia Carrow turned away from the wall beside Chibiusa and gaped at Theo. “That looked plenty hard enough! He’s not trying to hurt her, is he?”

“Orla Quirk?” Theo rolled his eyes. “Of course he’s not trying to hurt her, that’d be a penalty. But she’s hardly pedigree, is she.”

“But… but it’s just a game,” Hestia said.

“A wizards game,” Pansy Parkinson sneered. “Mudblood’s like her’ve got no business playing it.”

“But,” Hestia protested.

“Shut up, Hes!” her twin sister hissed, elbowing Hestia hard enough to knock her into Chibiusa. “They’re gonna call you a blood traitor – you want that?”

“I’m not!” Hestia snapped. “I just…”

“OH THAT’S ANOTHER HARD HIT FOR ORLA QUIRK FROM A GOYLE-CRABBE TAG-TEAM. AND THIS ONE’S EARNED A WHISTLE. GOOD THINK TOO. HOOCH DOESN’T LOOK PLEASED.”

“That’s more like it,” Theodore Nott whooped behind them and many of the upper years around them cheered.

Hestia Carrow bit her lip. “She helps me with Transfiguration.”

Chibiusa reached out and put her hand on Hestia’s arm.

“It’s okay,” Chibiusa said. “I think you’re right.”

“Does that make me a blood-traitor though?” Hestia said, clenching her fists. “I didn’t even… I’d never met a mudblood before.”

“PENALTY SHOT – 30-10 RAVENCLAW!

“You’d better not be a blood-traitor,” Flora whispered. “Dad will kill you – or he’ll send you to live with Auntie Alecto.”

Hestia shivered. “Don’t want that.”

“DAMN SLYTHERIN’S GOT – I MEAN SLYTHERIN’S CATCHING UP! 30-20!”

Hotaru Tomoe circled over the game. Slytherin was more aggressive than Corner’ed anticipated. And she was sure if Orla Quirk were still beating at 100 percent they wouldn’t be making nearly so many runs down the pitch. As it was, Orla was drifting back and forth across the mid-field line with one hand pressed over her ribs.

“SLYTHERIN’S TIED IT UP!” Colin gasped and Hotaru whipped around. Vikrum Thakur had both fists pumped in the air and their keeper was looking towards the center hoop as though it had personally betrayed him. “30-30!”

Hotaru scanned her eyes over the pitch. No threats still. All the scouts and Jadeite were calm watchers on the walls. And there was no glint of gold since her first sighting.

She wove above the pitch as Slytherin gained ground, and left more Ravenclaw players injured with each pass. She thought it helped them that Michael Corner had signalled them to switch to the defensive. Even with one beater injured, a blockade of six players was tough for the Slytherin team to get through.

“YOU’D THINK THEY’D WANT TO ADVANCE THE POINT TOTAL BUT IT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE CORNER WANTS TO CHANCE IT!”

Hotaru looked down. Slytherin had the ball again and was spiralling down for another approach. And Orla Quirk was hovering around a glaring Michael Corner, arguing fiercely with the captain. Michael waved his hand.

“TIME OUT!” Colin announced just before Hooch blew the whistle.

Hotaru flew down amid boos from the Slytherin section of the stands. She hovered above as the other players gathered together in a circle and came into earshot in time to here the third year beater arguing with Corner.

“We’ll never be in the running for the cup if you don’t let us advance down field!” Orla exploded at him. “Let Crabbe hit me – I don’t care.”  
“Quirk they’re trying to kill you – and I’m not confident they’ll stop there. Ackerley’s not exactly sacred 28 himself is he. And they’ve been eying Keelan for ages.

“They’ll be fair to me!” Ida Keelan said. “My mum’s a Rowle!”

“And she married a muggleborn, Wizgamot’s still out on your safety in Slytherin’s book.”

“So what are you gonna do!” Orla Quirk Exploded. “Replace us all with purebloods!” She grimaced and hunched over on her broom. But she kept glaring at Michael. “We’ve got to show em we’re every bit the Quidditch player they are.”

“What’s it matter!” Michael said. “It’s just a game!”

“To you,” Orla seethed. “No one’s ever questioned whether you’re worthy enough to play – you’ve been going to games since you could talk!”

“Hooch is waving.” Belby said. “We’ve got a minute.”

“Keep advancing down field,” Orla Quirk insisted. “Ackerley and I can’t get a bludger back if you don’t give Crabbe and Goyle a reason to swing!”

“I’m not a Gryffindor!” Michael snapped. “I’m not putting half my team in the Hospital over a Quaffle. Let’s run this one out, and make up the points against Gryffindor and Hufflepuff.”

“It’s not your decision!” Orla snapped.

“I’m the _Captain_!”

“And I’m a mudblood!” Quirk snapped, and the whole team but Hotaru gasped. “And so’s Tomoe. And Keelan may as well be.” She straightened up, looking imposing despite the drawn look on her face. “I think if this is a about our safety we should get to decide how we play.”

Michael Corner gulped. “Fine.” He looked at Ida Keelan and then up at Hotaru. “Your call.”

“We go on the offensive.” Ida Keelan said. “I don’t care how hurt I get, they can’t think they can play like this and win.”

“And I’m not going down before I knock Crabbe in the head,” Orla Quirk decided.

“I want it unanimous.” Michael said. “Tomoe – you’ll about to have bludger target on your back if this comes down to the snitch. Your call.”

“Keep playing.” Hotaru said. “I don’t cave to bullies.” She looked over at Hooch. “She wants to re-start.”

“Right.” Michael clapped his hands. “Remember to keep your course circular – Goyle’s aim is only as straight as your flying.”

The team broke off again, and this time Hotaru planted herself squarely above center field, keeping both hands on her broom.

“GAME’S BACK IN ACTION AND SO IS RAVENCLAW – MY GOD THAT’S MORE AGGRESSIVE THAN BEFORE! THEY’VE STILL GOT THAT CIRCLE TECHNIQUE… OH BUT SLYTHERIN’S GOT WISE TO IT! THAT’S AN INTERCEPTION! AND A RECOVERY!”

Ida had flown up inside the Slytherin chaser’s guard and had got both hands on the Quaffle, tugging as hard as she could.

“KEELAN’S PERHAPS NOT THE WISEST TO PICK THAT CHASER TO GET THE QUAFFLE FROM. I MEAN REALLY HANLEY’S HANDS ARE AS BIG AS HER FACE! BLOODY BLUDGER COMING IN FROM THE SIDE!”

Hotaru forced herself not to look, to keep an eye out for the snitch. She saw a streak of blue fly towards Keelan and Hanley.

“ACKERLEY’S INTERCEPTED! AND HIT HANLEY AS WELL! AND KEELAN’S GOT THE BLUDGER – TO BELBY – TO CORNER – GOAL! GOAL! YES! 40-30 RAVENCLAW!”

Hotaru looked down field. Slytherin had recovered the Quaffle quickly and one of their chasers had streaked off towards the Ravenclaw hoops ahead of her team, only Orla Quirk and the Keeper cold defend. And Goyle and Crabbe were approaching along with the Quaffle.

“THIS DOESN’T LOOK GOOD.”

Hotaru bit her lip. Any bludger Orla batted away would just get thwacked back at Chambers by the other Slytherin beater. She crossed her fingers as Goyle cracked the bat and sent the bludger streaking down.

“QUIRK BATS IT DOWN!”

“Yes!” Hotaru cheered as the bludger sailed down into the mud… and right back up. She saw Chambers block the shot on the hoops and then the Slytherin chaser back their broom into Orla, clipping her shoulder with their boot.

“PENALTY…NOT A PENALTY! OH COME ON HOOCH YOU CAN’T TELL ME THAT WASN’T INTENTIONAL – _FINE_! SLYTHERIN RECOVERS THE QUAFFLE! CHAMBERS BLOCKS! PASSES TO CORNER – TO KEEL – OH OUCH!”

The youngest Slytherin chaser had rushed Ida Keelan, elbowing her injured shoulder and gone for the ball. Hotaru clenched her fists. Ida still had it but…

“LOOKS LIKE A BRAWL OUT THERE – BELBY’S GONE IN - TACKLES THE SLYTHERIN. THAT’S THE WAY TO DO IT! AND KEELANS OFF!”

Ida whipped her Clean Sweep around and tore off down field. Hotaru saw Michael’s jaw drop.

“I DON'T THINK THIS IS IN THEIR PLAY BOOK! SHE’S AT MIDFIELD! AND GOYLE AND CRABBE ARE HARD ON HER HEELS!”

“Come on…” Hotaru muttered, crossing her fingers as Ida neared the Slytherin hoops… and the burly chaser and keeper in her way.

“I TH-THINK THEY COULD CRUSH HER…” Colin’s voice wavered.

“Come on…”

Ida Keelan then shot up high above the hoops, with Vikrum Thakur on her tail. Hotaru watched her stand shakily on her broom, arms braced as if she were on a skateboard. She toed the front of the broom downwards.

“THAKUR’S GONNA KNOCK HER OF – HOLY SHIT!”

Thakur tumbled through the air with an armful of empty broom as Ida freefell, quaffle in hand, towards the Slytherin goals. Hotaru stared as the Slytherin keeper hovered right in the path of the center hoop with his arms crossed. He appeared to have no plans to catch her.

Hotaru shot down, reaching the hoops just as Ida surprised Evercreech by punting the quaffle through the left-side hoop and then reached, the tips of her fingers caught the hoop. But she slipped, her injured arm losing purchase. Hotaru dove in right below her, putting her hand under Ida’s foot and giving her a boost up.

“NICE ASSIST TOMOE! 50-30 RAVENCLAW I DON’T BELIEVE THIS! LET’S GET HER BROOM BACK, THAKUR, YOU’RE NOT ALLOWED TWO.”

“Thanks,” Ida panted, grinning at Hotaru.

“What the hell!” The Slytherin Captain grabbed Ida by both shoulders and lifted her off of the hoop. “You’re supposed to stay on your broom!”

“It’s not – in the rules.” Ida Keelan said, wincing.

“Of course it’s in the rules!” Evercreech seethed. “It’s a death wish.”  
“But it’s not a rule!” Ida insisted. “Rule 9 says you’re not allowed two brooms, and rules 65-123 dictate what constitutes a broom and all the legal and illegal modifications – but there is _no rule_ that says I can’t jump for the hoop. Not any of the 1,073.” Ida insisted.

Evercreech looked purple and Hotaru looked around. Hooch was approaching, so she could safely look for the…”

“HARPER’S ENTERED A DIVE!”

Hotaru whipped around. Lawrence Harper’s small green form was rushing towards the door of the Ravenclaw Locker room, where a small gold ball was hovering by the handle.

Hotaru streaked off, waving frantically for the beaters. Ackerley came in with a bludger that forced Harper off course, and gave Hotaru time to move in. The Snitch must have sensed her for it moved, darting out towards the black and brown center of the pitch. Hotaru leaned on the Nagaraboshi, urging it faster and faster. Sparks from the tail streaked behind her.

“IT’S GONNA COME DOWN TO A BEAT DOWN! BLUDGER FROM GOYLE – INTERCEPTED BY QUIRK – OI CRABBE YOU’RE MEANT TO HIT THE BALL WITH THAT!”

She was just fifty feet off now, she stretched her hand out. The snitch shot upwards. She jerked her broom up at a 90 degree angle and kicked off the ground with her toes to get higher faster.

Something whizzed past her ear. Hotaru kept flying.

“NEAR MISS FROM THAT BLUDGER! AND HERE COMES ANOTHER FROM GOYLE”

A bat cracked behind her.

“GOOD DEFENSE FROM QUIRK!” TOMOE’S IN REACH.

She could see Harper swooping in on her left as she zeroed in on her quarry. He wouldn’t get it. She inched forwards on the broom, straining her fingers. The cool metal brushed her fingertips and she clenched her hand shut around the feather-light wings, Shooting up into the bright blue sky with the Golden Snitch in her palm.

“THAT’S A CATCH!” Colin exclaimed as the whole pitch roared. “RAVENCLAW WINS 200-30!”

Hotaru shrieked, waving the golden snitch in her hand. She flew down towards the jubilant Ravenclaw stands, extending her free hand and high-fiving the outstretched hands of the spectators. Luna was beaming. Mercury and Megumi gave her a thumbs up.

Out on the pitch, Keelan had gotten her broom back. And she and the rest of the team had gathered in center field, cheering as loudly as they could. Even Orla Quirk, who now had both hands wrapped around her stomach, was beaming from ear to ear.

They lapped the pitch three times before heading back to the locker room. And when Hotaru emerged in her blue Quidditch cloak with her muddy broom in hand, she beamed. At the front of the crowd gathered outside the locker room, were Mama’s and…

“Papa!” She grinned, forgetting for a moment her reluctance to call Haruka Papa since the death of her father. She laughed as Haruka picked her up and put Hotaru on her shoulders.

“MAKE WAY!” Haruka shouted over the crowd of excited Ravenclaws. “SEEKING QUEEN COMING THROUGH!”

“They’re not just excited about me!” Hotaru laughed, looking back. Michael had conjured a sling to put around Ida’s arm and the Keeper had lifted Orla Quirk onto his shoulders so she would not have to walk all the way across the grounds. A whole mob of Ravenclaws had crowded around them to escort them back to the castle.

“Well you did brilliantly,” Mama Michiru congratulated Hotaru. “Even if you did scare me half-to-death.”

“And I promise you’ll be back in the common room with plenty of time to celebrate.” Setsuna said.

Hotaru’s eyes widened and she looked ahead of them. The scouts had all de-transformed, and all of them lingered in the grounds ahead with Ginny, Luna, and the other Gryffindors along with them. She even saw Harry appear in between Ron and Hermione as he slipped off his invisibility cloak.

“We have a meeting?” Hotaru asked.

“We do,” Haruka said. “I don’t know what it’s about yet…” She looked over at Setsuna, who had a spring in her step today.

“I thought it best to tell you all together.” She said. “Good news deserves proper celebrations too.”

She led all of them back to her chambers, where another constellation-covered couch had appeared in the sitting room to accomadate four people Hotaru was surprised to see: Sirius, Remus, Hamish, and Rigel already siting on one of the couches.

“Hotaru!” Sirius waved as they came in. “Excellent catch! Harry’ll have to put some effort in if he wants to seek against you.”

“Oi,” Harry muttered. “I’ll still win.”

Haruka let Hotaru down from her shoulders and all of them settled around the room. Though, Hotaru noticed, only Luna, Akira, and Chibiusa elected to sit.

“And one more,” Setsuna announced as the door to her rooms swung open again.

Dumbledore slipped in, smiling at all of them, a twinkle in his eyes. “An excellent game,” he congratulated Hotaru.

“We thought, given all of your efforts to liberate the prison last month, Dumbledore said with a nod especially towards Harry and his friends. “That you should be kept appraised of this new development.”

“We have learned,” Setsuna said “That Voldemort will be leaving the country on a mission some time soon.”

“When?” Harry demanded.

“The tenth of December is a good bet,” Dumbledore said. “It’s the New Moon: always been thought to be a particularly auspicious day for dark magic, and Tom Riddle is one I think even you’ll know by now, Harry, values traditions.” Dumbledore nodded. “On that night, I will be leaving the country as well, accompanied by one I trust.”

Setsuna continued. “Albus and I would like to beat Voldemort at his own game. There are steps we can take to bar him from his objective. Lestrange, I’m confident, will be with him.”

“Freeing us up to for a mission,” Haruka determined.

“Indeed,” Setsuna said, looking at Haruka and Michiru, and the other members of their Sailor-Wizarding Operations Squad.

Slughorn’s information had led her to the healer who had treated Dafydd Dawlish for the week before he’d been found dead in his hospital room. She’d enlisted Dumbledore to see what could be gleaned from the woman’s memories.

Not much of worth, Save Dafydd’s muttering about the bone white cliffs.

Which there happened to be, stretching out along the Dover coast.

Setsuna missed the nervous looks Sora Kaioh traded with the other first years on the couch as she focused on the scouts and the order members who would be leading this mission.

“Voldemort will certainly be out of the country for the New Moon,” Setsuna said. “When he returns, he’ll have one less Horcrux.”

_~I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good~_

 


	12. R.A.B.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> warning. S.W.O.S. is going after the locket. And someone (not Dumbledore) is drinking that potion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: This was… incredibly satisfying. Stay tuned next week for the Christmas Chapter! ☺  
> Disclaimer: See chapter 1 or 9  
> Last Time On Sailor Moon H: After months of searching, spying, and stressing, the location of Voldemort’s next Horcrux has been found.

**R.A.B.**

“Bloody Hell! How’d you do that?” Ron gaped as Ginny’s Rook swooped in and checkmated his King. The red piece dropped its sword and hung its head and Ginny’s pieces looked up at her. She grinned and stuck her thumb down. The three pieces checkmating Ron’s King swarmed in with their swords, hacking the defeated King to pieces.

“ _Ginny!_ ”

“You’re the chess champion, you know how I did it,” Ginny said, lounging back on the couch and looking over at the common room fire. Rei and Harry were still stock still in front of it, and Ginny was pretty sure neither was seeing anything useful given how tensely they were sitting.

“What are they doing?” someone asked as her pieces retreated from the pile of rumble that was Ron’s King. Ginny glanced over at them. Fourth year... Romalda something.

“Divination homework,” Ron told her. “NEWTs weird stuff.”

“I didn’t think Harry took that at the NEWT level,” Romalda said with excited eyes. “Oh but of course he tries to play down how talented he is. What’s his favorite divination method?” she asked Ginny, though her eyes continued to stare adoringly at Harry.

“None of your business,” Ginny said. “And no you can’t ask him – he’s got to concentrate.”

“Who are you, his girlfriend?” Romalda huffed, crossing her arms. She looked at Ginny for the first time, scrutinizing her from head to toe. “You know they all say boys don’t date their teammates. They just don’t think it’s romantic.”

Ginny matched the impetuous fourth year with a much cooler glare perfected from over a decade of Fred and George trying to get a rise out of her, and reminded herself that when she’d been walking around the locker room with her robe half on last week Harry had definitely been looking. “No one has ever said that,” Ginny told Romalda. “And no, I’m not his girlfriend. Then again, neither are you.” She noticed her chess pieces brandishing their weapons at Romalda and scooped up the bishop before it could throw its spear at her.

Romalda huffed. “We’ll see about that,” and she strutted away from the couch and over to one of the study tables where the other fourth and some of the fifth year girls were huddled together, giggling at Ginny.

She rolled her eyes and looked over at Ron. He was frowning at her. “What?”

“Nothing,” he said, glancing at Harry. “Um...” he blushed. “You know Harry loves Quidditch. He’s never said he wouldn’t date a teammate... not that we’ve talked about it. But we haven’t not talked about it. And, and Harry’s great... and he doesn’t know that girl’s name anyways.”

Ginny stared at him. “Are you... that... I think you are encouraging me to flirt with your best friend.”

“ _Gin!_ No!” Ron protested. “I just... I dunno. I dunno, okay. Just... you know, he doesn’t really look at anyone but you.” He was as red as the tie that was draped askew across his robes.

To be fair though, Ginny didn’t imagine her face was any less red. “Um... Thanks,” she said, busying herself cleaning up the chess pieces. She glanced up at her brother, who was staring at the ceiling. “For the record, Hermione thinks you’re... very nice looking.”

“Really!” Ron said, leaning forwards over the chess board. “What’d she say.”

“Nothing I want to repeat to my brother,” Ginny glared.

Someone next to them cleared their throat “Um...” the two of them looked up.

Neville Longbottom looked between the two of them and at Harry and Rei in front of the fire. “Am I interrupting?”

“No,” Ginny said, making room on the couch for him. He had a defense book under his arm. “What’s up?”

“I was just wondering if you’d seen Usagi. I’m headed down to the library – loads of the first years wanted someone to help them with their shield charms. And Usagi likes to help me when we tutor them... but I can’t find her, and she’s not out with Colin.”

“Date with Goldstein,” Ginny said. “He heard she liked stars and there’s a meteor shower tonight. They’re probably up on top of the Astronomy Tower.”

“She likes Goldstein now?” Neville frowned.

“I guess – But she also likes stargazing way more than studying. So do I as it happens.” She gave a mischeivous grin to Neville and crossed her arms. “If you’re that jealous, you have to do way better than the library, mate.”

Neville flushed and stared towards the floor. “I’m n-not jealous. She’s just...” he glanced up at Ginny’s raised eyebrow and she and Ron’s identical smirks and turned redder. “Nevermind,” he muttered.

Ginny chuckled. “Sorry, Nev – if you want to date her just ask her out. She thinks your cute; she’ll say yes.”

“I guess.” Neville shrugged and his voice faded to a mumble as he added: “she’s... looking for a prince though. I’d just distract her.” He glanced at his watch. “Anyways – I’d better go.” And he dashed off lest Ginny decide to jump off the couch and give him a pep talk.

The fifth year was certainly considering it. She sighed and slumped into the couch, staring after Neville.

“Shit luck for him,” Ron commented from the other couch. “First girl he considers asking out has the bar set on royalty.”

“Well it isn’t as if Endymion’s a prince _now_ ,” Ginny rolled her eyes. “Figures the girl who’s better at boosting his self-confidence than _me_ has to be the bloody Queen.”

“What’s Endymion like anyways?” Ron asked. “Has to be interesting if she’s considered Creevey _and_ Goldstein.”

“He’s a little bit like both of them and also nothing like them,” Ginny shook her head. “That’s sort of the point, I think. Usagi’s trying to get to know people without constantly wondering if they’re him.”

“Are you looking for him?” Ron wondered. “I mean, wasn’t he your friend?”  
“Well then I’d have to comb through half the school, wouldn’t I? – and that’s not counting the girls,” Ginny said. “Which you know, there’s me, so Endymion could certainly be a girl _.”_ She closed her eyes. “I try not to think about what’d he’d be like now, cause whenever _anyone_ does anything remotely Endymion-like I spend the rest of the day distracted. And upset.” She sighed, staring up at the warm light from the fire dancing across the ceiling. “He was my best friend... and my liege lord besides. I mean I knew him loads longer than Serenity did. I feel like I _should_ be able to find him, but the more I look, the more I think it’d be easier to find bloody excalibur!”

“Well you’re all too close to it, aren’t you?” Ron observed. “What was he like – come on tell me!” he pressed when Ginny looked away. “Or tell Hermione – you know she’s nearly read everything the library has on the old pure blood lineages trying to prove Harry’s book’s from a dark wizard. She needs a new project.”

Ginny chuckled. “Maybe one that doesn’t make she and Harry frosty with each other at breakfast.” She bit her lip, thinking back. “He was kind. I know that’s way too general, but I really mean it. He was nice to everyone. Unless you hurt his friends that is, then he didn’t look too kindly on you. Like when we were at school: the older Gryffindors would tease me cause I was Godric Gryffindor’s son, but I was an absolute shrimp up till fifth year. And they always felt jealous that I got to be Dad’s son when they thought they were more Gryffindor than me... I was too proud to tell Dad of course, he would have said to prove ‘em wrong and deal with it. And it got bad... Endymion found out, see. And next thing I know, he’s appointed himself my designated bodyguard. He taught me chess. And when I was too small for the armor they used to issue you in defense, he mastered the shrinking charm so I wouldn’t have to beg a teacher to shrink mine for me.” She smiled. “And he was patient too. Like he knew how to listen to you. I used to blow my top whenever I got frustrated and he’d say we should go out and see if the grounds keeper needed help wrangling any creatures that day, so I’d have the space to rant about whatever was on my mind. He did that for Saverio Slytherin too, whenever his dad put too much pressure on him to live up to his legacy...” She opened her eyes. “He told me once he thought of people just like plants in his gardens... like they all had the potential to be great if he just took the time to figure out what they needed to grow strong.”

“He sounds like a pansy,” Ron muttered.

“Oi!” Ginny glared.

“No, I just mean – er,” Ron smacked his face. “Sorry, I meant to say...”

He was cut off by the fire flaring up and Harry groaning in frustration. Ginny and Ron looked over at the two fire-gazers. Harry was leaning against the coffee table rubbing his scar and Rei was staring at her lap, her hands in fists.

“What?” Ginny and Ron asked together.

“He’s looking for someone,” Harry said. “But that’s all I can get.”

“And Michiru and Haruka have a mission tonight,” Rei added, not looking away from her lap. “I don’t like it.”

“Are they in danger?” Ginny asked, jumping off the couch with her right hand already out to summon Gryffindor’s sword.

“I don’t think so,” Rei scowled. “I hate that they’re back to going on missions and leaving us out in the cold!” she fumed.

“What did you see?” Harry asked.

Rei bit her lip. “A lake, and a lot of dark magic lurking under the surface.”

“The... h-o-r-c-r-u-x is in a lake?” Ron said. “What’s V-voldemort designed these like? Triwizard tasks?”

Rei shrugged “Whatever those are.” She shook her head, staring at her clenched fists. “Setsuna says she’s watching... doesn’t want too many people involved... in case it tips him off.”

All of them stared into the fire, orange flames stretching up towards the top of the fireplace.

“They got the ring, didn’t they,” Harry offered. “They can get this one too.”

Rei sighed and shook her head. “I still don’t like it...”

Rei was not the only one who felt uneasy about the night ahead: as preparations got underway in the Headmaster’s office for Dumbledore’s part in the operation, Setsuna Meioh felt much the same.

It would foreseeably be a successful mission. And she was more confident given Lestrange was abroad, and so far there did not _seem_ to be any more uncertainty than usual.

But there was enough to give her pause, especially as she could not accompany them.

 _If the Order is otherwise occupied,_ Dumbledore had reasoned _and I myself am going abroad, that will leave you the best equipped to defend the school from attack._

She hated that she agreed with him. Especially as she tried to account for the risks Haruka and Michiru might face tonight.

Presently, Setsuna lingered near the front wall of the Headmaster’s office, watching Dumbledore and Kingsley as they leaned over the desk deliberating one last time over the large, map hovering over the top of it.

The fireplace in the back of the office turned green and Mad-Eye Moody ducked out of it.

“It’s an auspicous day for dark magic for a reason,” Mad-Eye Moody complained as he stomped the ash off of his boot and wooden leg. He’d been incredibly resistant to any operation on the new moon, but it seemed, as Setsuna’d thought, that he’d appeared to help them non-the-less.

“I assure you, Alastor,” Dumbledore said, beckoning him to the desk where he and Kingsley were double-checking the map. “There really is no other time for it.”

“We can’t guarentee Voldemort will be out of the country on any other day.” Setsuna added, looking out the window at the dark grounds. It was a starry night now, though there’d be snow later.

“Could be walking right into them,” Moody muttered, adjusting his wand holster and then his cloak. “You sent the communication to Gregorvich securely?” Moody checked.

There was a shriek, and a burst of flame as Fawkes appeared overhead, landing heavily on the desk in a rain of soot. The phoenix ruffled his feathers and glared at Moody, turning his beak up at the man.

“Right, secure enough then,” Moody grumbled. His magical eye rolled 180 degrees around in his head, looking to the grandfather clock beside the fireplace. “We’ll be late.”

“You’ll be right on time,” Setsuna assured him.

“An’ where’s your strike team anyways?” Moody continued. “Can’t tell me Black wasn’t keen to piss on Voldemort’s operation.”

“Their team has their own business this evening,” Dumbledore said.

“Something to do with why the Stebbins kid was askin’ me bout underwater defenses?” Moody asked.

Dumbledore shook his head. “All will be revealed in time, Alastor. For now you’ll have to settle for an old man’s word.” He held out his arm and Fawkes alighted on it. “Are we ready.”

“Ready enough,” Kingsley shrugged. He vanished the map and shrunk several items strewn across the Headmaster’s desk. They sailed into the open neck of the unassuming moleskin pouch he’d tied around his neck. That done, Kingsley walked around the desk to Dumbledore and Moody and put his left hand on Fawkes wing. Moody’s magical eye did one more sweep around the office as he put his hand on Fawkes other wing. The phoenix chirped, adjusting his perch on Dumbledore’s arm.

And Dumbledore looked at Setsuna. “If we do not return,” he said. “Please inform Mr. Potter that everything he needs he’ll find in the cabinet behind my desk. And give my apologies to Minerva, as I have several weeks worth of neglected paperwork she’ll now be stuck sorting through. And for the portrait,” he said merrily (either unaware of Moody’s irritated scowl or more likely unhindered by it.) “Tell them I am quite partial to rainbow socks.”

There was a crack and a burst of sparks as Fawkes apparated away, carrying the three wizards with him.

And then it was Setsuna Meioh alone in the office. She looked to the cabinet Dumbledore had mentioned. It was unlikely, as of now, that they would not make it back, but it never hurt to be prepared for the eventuality.

It was mostly pensieve memories resting behind the glass – balanced delicately on their stands. In the back of the cabinet though were three other items: an unassuming black pocket-lighter, a small old book with a gold title and yellowing pages, and (Setsuna raised her eyebrows) a golden snitch whose its wings drooping against the glass shelf.

She shook her head, and departed the office, making rounds of the whole school just in case any eyes or ears were keen to do dark magic tonight. She lingered in the dungeons surrounding the Slytherin dorms for a while, nervous that if their plans were discovered, Malfoy might think it an opportune night to signal for an attack on the school.

As she made her rounds, in her head, she went over the likeliest of timelines anew.

It was 22:10 now. Dumbledore, Shacklebolt, and Moody would have appeared in the hills around Gregorvitch’s workshop at 21:47 and would now be within a spell-casting’s distance of the wand-maker. Gregorvich would have his belongings packed to Moody’s satisfaction by 22:45 and would, they hoped, be well on his way into hiding by the time Voldemort and Lestrange located his shop.

And as of now, Haruka, Michiru, and their team would be watching the clouds overtake the stars above the Dover cliffs, waiting for the last of the lights from nearby muggle towns to go out for the evening. That would be in six minutes time, at which point they would go ahead with their plans.

Absently, Setsuna twisted the new ring on her left hand. It was remarkably similar to those she, Haruka, and Michiru had worn before they’d lost them to Galaxia. It was so similar that Setsuna’d wondered when Haruka’d gifted it to her if the sky guardian had bought it or conjured three replicas from memory.

 _“I just missed having them. And these’ll be useful!”_ Haruka’d explained when she’d presented them several days ago. “ _They’ll turn cold if one of us is in trouble. This way, you can guard Hogwarts and not worry about whether or not we need you.”_

Right now the ring was warm. Setsuna twisted it on her finger again. It was 22:15. They’d be diving into the cave any second...

 _The Death Eaters won’t have tracked them,_ Setsuna assured herself as she breezed through the dark corridors. _We’ve taken more than enough precautions_.

When she reached the bridge between the East and West wings of the castle, the clouds were overtaking the stars, blanketing the peaceful grounds in a layer of darkness that would soon mask the midnight snowfall.

 _Nothing will go wrong,_ Setsuna thought. It would in all likelyhood be a normal, starless, moonless eve.

~ _SMH_ ~

When the last light went out in the village nearest the cliffs, five people approached the edge, cast bubblehead charms for themselves with well practiced waves of their wands, and, following the lead of the short, aqua haired witch, dove into the black ocean water.

Thank Merlin they’d remembered the cast heating charms on their robes. The water was frigid – so much so that they felt frostbite prickling their fingers seconds into their swim. Sirius Black gave up on the idea entirely, transforming into Padfoot midswim and dog paddling the rest of the way into the cave.

He was the slowest. And the minute he emerged into the cave, he caught Remus eye and grinned.

“No.” Remus said, casting a drying charm on Padfoot and then himself.

The dog whined and transformed back into Sirius.“But shaking is my favorite part!” he pouted “I’d have moved.”

“ _Lying_ ,” Michiru sighed. Remus and Sirius looked towards her.

She had her back to them and her head down, and was gazing into the Aqua Mirror – the brightest light in the velvety darkness of the cavern. The blue from the looking glass refracted off of the sword Haruka brandished in her right hand, and off the small crystals embedded in the rocks.

She pointed to a high, jagged stone wall several feet ahead of them and spoke again in the same, low, distance voice that overtook her while her mirror held her attention. “ _There’s another cavern further in_.”

“It’s been magically expanded,” Rigel said, muttering under his breath as he strained his eyes to interpret the runework hidden in these rocks. “There’s...so much here...”

“ _On the left_ ,” Michiru told him without once looking up from the mirror, her brow was furrowed eyes shifting back and forth as she watched whatever it was showing her.

“I... she’s right.” Rigel announced, putting his hand on a narrow, smooth portion of the rock face. “I think to open it needs... a payment?”

Sirius and Remus exchanged looks “What sort?” Sirius asked, rubbing his chin.

“I think... a blood payment?” Rigel frowned “Am I interpreting that right?”

Sirius suddenly barked out a laugh. “Uninspired.” He shook his head, motioning Rigel aside as he approached the rock. He reached into his pocket and took out a switchblade. “I’ve got this.” He lifted the knife. For a moment it appeared as though he mearly curled his hand around the blade.

Then he hissed through gritted teeth, pulling the knife back. He uncurled his left hand, and pressed it to the rock.

The stone cracked up the middle and separated, a faint green light straining out from beyond it.

“Are you trying to match Mad-Eye’s limb count?” Remus nagged Sirius as they all filed through the narrow doorway. Haruka had to pull Rigel along as it tried to close on him.

“W-would it have let you just knick your thumb?” Rigel asked while Remus healed Sirius hand.

“Nah,” Sirius said, turning to take in the new room. His voice echoed out through the darkness. “These kinds can tell when you’re being a wimp about it.” He led the way forwards, walking up to where Haruka and Michiru had stopped, a foot or so from the still, black surface of a lake. Michiru was still frowning into the mirror, and Haruka (standing close to Michiru) was turning round, eyes narrowed as she stared into the deep, overwhelming darkness that permeated the cave, and at the faint point of green light in the middle of the lake, which cast an eerie, emerald sheen on the water.

“ _There’s something under the water,”_ Michiru murmured as the five of them stood in a line along the lake shore. “ _Can you feel it?”_

“Can I ever.” Haruka closed her eyes. “It’s too quiet.”

“I know what it is,” Remus said; his voice was cold. A new, warmer green light flared up in front of him, and they all turned to look. He was glaring towards the lake, holding his favorite spell – the green fire – in his hand. “I remember these clearer than most things.” He wrinkled his nose. “Not even water quite masks the smell.”

Sirius frowned, and transformed into Padfoot. He was a dog long enough to get a wiff of the air and when he did, he whined and growled. His hackles shot up and he transformed swiftly back to human, cursing.

“I’m right aren’t I?” Remus asked.

“Inferi,” Sirius said. Rigel squeaked.

“Corpses,” Remus told Haruka and Michiru. “Re-animated to act as a dark wizard’s army.”

“They can’t be restored then?” Haruka checked.

“No... and only fire and light will stop them.” Remus stowed his wand so he could gather the green fire spell in both hands. “Don’t touch the water – that’s surely their trigger to attack.”

“We still need to get out to that light.” Haruka’s eyes narrowed as she tried to judge the distance. “I could jump it.”

“Let’s see,” Sirius said. “ _Avis_.”

A bird chirped as it flew out of his wand, soaring out over the lake. It got halfway across when the pale, emaciated shape of an inferius launched out of the water, catching the bird and crashing once more beneath the surface of the lake. Moments later the water was as eerily still and silent as it had been before.

“Right... not jumping then,” Haruka said.

“ _There’s another way_ ,” Michiru announced, eyes still lost in the mirror’s depths. She turned to the right, and walked nimbly across the rocks, navigating down to the water’s edge.

Haruka followed after her with the Space Sword raised lest another of those nasties thought of coming near the shore. But Michiru seemed unconcerned, walking with ease along the edge of the water, and out onto a narrow outcropping in the rocks.

“Careful,” Haruka cautioned, but Michiru suddenly knelt at the edge of the water. “Michi!”

Michiru stuck one hand below the water’s surface and stood. They all heard the faint clink of metal before a heavy, faintly green chain became visible in her hand.

Michiru tucked the mirror into her robe and used both hands to pull the chain – covered in green magic and slime – from the water. More of it became visible as it coiled up on the rock behind her. After a few minutes she gritted her teeth and pulled harder. Haruka came up behind her and wrapped both hands around Michiru’s. They pulled together. Something scrapped against the stones on the shore, and (as the water rolled off of it) a small wooden boat, awash in green magic, became visible as first the narrow bow, then the shallow sides, and finally the stern were pulled up into the shallows and docked on the shore.

“There’s enchantments on it,” Rigel noted as they all gathered around the boat. He knelt down and traced a hand over the side. “If it senses more than one witch or wizard in it, it won’t move across.”

“We have a way around that,” Michiru said and nodded to Sirius.

He grinned widely and clapped his hands. “Almost worth the flees – make way!” Sirius stepped fowards, landing in the boat as Padfoot and sending it rocking to the side as he paced around it on his four, giant paws.

“And Haruka,” Michiru added, looking up at her.

Haruka was frowning at her. “You have a plan don’t you? You saw something in your mirror.”

“Yes,” Michiru whispered, holding out her left hand between them.

“Am I going to like the plan.”

“It’s the fastest way to get the Horcrux,” Michiru said. “Trust me.”

Haruka sighed. And reached out, catching Michiru’s hand. “Always.”

Michiru smiled. She leaned towards Haruka, transforming into the aqua and blue snake animagus, twining up Haruka’s arm and curling round her neck.

“Right,” Haruka said, raising her eyebrows at Padfoot, who had the boat’s oar in his mouth. “Uh-uh. I’m steering.” She stepped into the boat and reaching her hand out for the oar.

Padfoot whined but complied, dropping the oar into her palm. It was covered in slobber.

“Do you have to act exactly like your species?” Haruka asked as she knelt down and put the butt of the oar against the rocks, preparing to push off. She looked up at Remus and Rigel. “Watch the door.”

“Be back soon,” Remus replied.

The boat pushed off from the rocks, wobbling percariously in the still, black water. Then it leveled out, and the only sound in the cave was the echo of the lone oar propelling the small craft across.

“Rigel.” Remus held out his fire-coated palm. “Remember fifth year, I taught you this one?”

Rigel nodded, muttering something under his breath and reaching out. The flame in Remus palm grew and stretched between them, spreading into Rigel’s hand.

“Cover the opposite shore,” Remus said. “Do you remember how to shoot these.”

“Yeah.”

“Be ready to do so – indescriminantly – do you understand? Don’t worry about hitting Haruka or tripping any alerts.”

Rigel gulped. “They’re that fast?”

Remus nodded. “But for now we’re fine.” He glared at the faint shape of a pale limb drifting under the water. “As long as nothing wakes them up.”

The green light that stretched out into the darkest reaches of the cave shone from atop a low island, the three boat-riders could see as they neared: the land was barely more than a pile of stones in the middle of the lake. Padfoot bounded out onto the stone shore first and transformed, using his wand to secure the boat.

Haruka jumped out, sword drawn, but nothing appeared on the island. The air here, as on the shore, was unnaturally still.

She extended her arm, watching the snake animagus slide into her palm and transform. In a blink, the snake was Michiru again, standing beside Haruka with one hand clasped in hers.

“It’s a potion,” Sirius announced. He was already kneeling by the source of the green light – a shallow gold basin. The light seemed to emanate up from the bottom, refracted through the cave by the clear potion that lapped at the edges of the basin. Sunk at the bottom was a gleaming, silver and green locket.

“Don’t suppose we can just pick it out,” Sirius mused. Haruka frowned, and she and Michiru knelt beside Sirius. She released Michiru’s hand and leaned over the basin, lowering her sword into it. She sliced it towards the bottom, attempting several times to scoop the locket out and then, several more times to stab it, until Michiru put a hand on her arm.

“That won’t work, unfortunately,” she said. “We need to drain the basin first.”

Sirius hummed and waved his wand, conjuring a simple, golden goblet. He dipped it into the basin and lifted it, completely full. “If I were having a lucky day, I could just...” he moved the goblet until it was over the rocks and dumped it out. The clear potion within spilled forth, but disappeared before it could splash against the rocks.

The basin refilled to the brim.

“Guess it isn’t a lucky day,” Sirius muttered.

“There’s only one way,” Michiru said. Sirius looked up as she stretched her hand out across the basin. “It has to be drunk.”

“You saw this, didn’t you?” Haruka whispered.

Michiru nodded.

“Then let me.”

“Never,” Michiru said, taking the goblet from Sirius. She looked up at Haruka. “I saw what it can do.” She held Haruka’s gaze. “I can do it. I’m strong enough. Just... _both_ of you,” she looked over at Sirius too. “Don’t let me stop... and don’t try to finish it for me. We might need everyone if those creatures wake up.”

“Michi I’m not just going to let you drink whatever that is!”

“You have to,” Michiru smiled up at her. “You have to row the boat back.”

“But...”

“And if anything went wrong, I’m the easiest to carry.” Michiru leaned up and pressing her forehead to Haruka’s. She teased: “ _Some_ people are too heavy.” She stared at Haruka. “What’s our objective?”

“The horcrux,” Haruka said. Her shoulders sagged and she looked away. “Fine.”

“We can’t waste time,” Michiru said. She turned away from Haruka and dipped the goblet into the basin. It was so full when she lifted it that the potion spilled down the sides. Michiru brought the goblet to her lips.

As Michiru tipped the potion down her throat, Haruka felt the ring on her finger chill. Michiru grabbed for her hand.

The three Order members on the island waited, but the potion did not refill. The lake did not stir.

Michiru dipped the goblet into the potion again and continued to drink.

~ _SMH_ ~

“This is taking too much time,” Mad-Eye Moody grumbled, glancing for the seventeenth time at the glowing, bronze numbers on his watch.

“It always takes a while,” Shacklebolt said.

They’d just finished the ground work for wards around the wider property and were now preparing a Fidelius charm for the farmhouse that would serve as the wandmaker, Gregorvich’s home foreseeably until the end of the war. Shacklebolt felt something cold on his head and looked up. It had begun to snow. “Though if this masks the magical traces on the ground Voldemort and his party may soon opt for an air search. _Then_ we might be in the shit.”

“Hmm.” Moody snapped his wand. “ _Circacito!”_ A bolt of lightning shot out of his wand and rippled across the clouds overhead, accompanied by a deafening clap of thunder. The snow fall began to shift, streaking off to the right and left and forming a wall of snow that howled as it picked up to blizzard level, blocking the property off behind the false storm.

“That’ll do,” Shacklebolt said, just as something bright orange torn past them. Fawkes had shot out of the farmhouse. He circled three times overhead and flashed, stranding the two of them and Dumbledore hours from Britain, ankle deep in the snow.

“Next time we’re using my transport,” Moody said and his frown deepened. His magical eye darted all around. “Usually that bird’s more reliable.”

Kingsley nodded. Something had prompted Fawkes to leave them. “And now I agree with you: This is taking too long.”

~ _SMH~_

Sora Kaioh watched the snow fall outside from the seat of one of Gryffindor’s tall dormitory windows. The fingers of her left hand tapped quietly across on the glass as she stared into the darkness. In her right hand, she held a large, blue and white shell over her ear.

It was still so hard to listen here, with all the magical interference. Not even enchanting the shell with wizard spells could quite make up the difference. Still, Sora’d heard them arrive at the cave safely. It was only now that they were inside that the shell could convey only unintelligible whispers to her.

She shivered and the shell fell through her hand, clattering to the wood floor. The sound of her fingers on the glass abruptly ceased.

Sora bit her lip and closed her eyes as the tingling feeling started in her fingers and toes – the one that said they’d begun to diffuse, trying to dissolve back into stardust. She curled up smaller in the window seat.

“Be okay,” she whispered, heart pounding as the tingling spread to her arms and legs. “Be okay. Be okay.”

It was too early to intervene. It had only been a month since Megumi had told them they needed to wait, after all, and what little all of them had been able to learn about the man inadvertantly changing their timeline suggested that was still so.

This was just the universe being unstable, Sora tried to convince herself once more. Tonight’s mission was just like any other of mamas’ and papa’s missions.

“Be okay, be okay, be okay.”

 _Trust them to win their war,_ Megumi had said. That wasn’t unreasonable. They’d won many. They would win many more.

Still...

“Be okay,” Sora whispered, never once opening her eyes lest she see right through her own hands. “Be okay, be okay, be okay...”

~ _SMH_ ~

_Setsuna gasped, her heart leapt into her throat as the world around her was suddenly engulfed in orange flames. She whirled around, raising her arms to block the heat..._

_At once the fire began to fill with color, the flames transforming into a dark, bleak vision. Setsuna even forgot the heat as she stared, paralyzed, at what the fire showed her._

_The wizard-in-white was the brightest point in the otherwise dark scene, hovering over a burnt out, crumbling ruin of a castle and standing out against the backdrop of a sky clogged with billowing plumes of thick, ashy smoke..._

_She didn’t realize the ruin was Hogwarts until she noticed what stood before her: the drained basin of a lake with the pale corpse of a giant squid spread across the bottom, its limbs crushing the corpses of the other lake life. Along the shoreline, she covered her mouth with her hand, the small, black-robed corpses of students lay sprawled across the cracked ground that would have once been the shallows._

_She tried to step forwards, into the scene, to kill the wizard, to stop this, and saw a pink light hit the Wizard in White in the back. He disintegrated for a moment and reformed, as unaffected by the attack as a ghost. He turned to face the source of the light._

_A blond figure stood on the cracked steps of the castle, her long blond pigtails streaking out behind her. Setsuna stared as she closed her eyes and a golden crescent formed on her forehead, as her red and black robes shimmered and changed into a familiar regal, white gown._

_Setsuna prayed as she stared through the fire: as Neo Queen Serenity raised the Moon scepter on the white wizard, beginning to glow a brilliant white. She opened her mouth to speak._

_A jet of green shot towards the Queen from the back, engulfing her in the deadly glow. Setsuna screamed. Serenity’s blue eyes dulled, her scepter clattered from her hand. And as the light faded, she crumpled onto Hogwarts steps._

_And a rail-thin woman with wild gray hair and crazed grey eyes stepped over her corpse, twisted wand still glowing the horrific deadly green. She tilted her head towards the sky and laughed, wand shooting the Dark Mark up into the sky._

_The scene faded, the orange flames surrounded Setsuna once more and she looked all around. Several small figures were walking through them, becoming clearer and clearer in the flames._

_She saw the aqua haired eleven-year-old first – Sora Kaioh stretched her hand out towards Setsuna as she neared. Setsuna reached for her._

_And watched as, just as their fingers would have touched, Sora’s form turned translucent. Everything from the waves of her turquoise hair to the rolled sleeves of her quidditch robes turned to golden dust and dissolved. Leaving only the flames behind._

_“Pluto!” She heard Akira Hino behind her and turned round in time to see the Hufflepuff child fade too, and then to her left..._

_“No!” Setsuna tried to reach for her power as she turned again and saw Megumi Meioh staring at her, red eyes mournful as she raised her hand and waved, and like the others dissolved into golden dust.  
“Puu?” She shivered and turned again, dropping to her knees as she faced Chibiusa, whose hands were even now turning to bright, golden flecks of stardust._

_“I can stop this!” Setsuna cried, watching Chibiusa stare as first her hands and then her arms disintegrated. “Tell me how? Tell me!”_

_“You can’t,” Chibiusa whispered. “You can’t stop it.”_

_“No!” She reached for her. If she could just pull her into the time dimension the laws that dictated linear time could not decide her existence._

_Her fingers passed right through Chibiusa’s robes, and a moment later all Setsuna could see wer the orange walls of flames. She heard a bird’s frantic screech._

_“Chibiusa!”_

Setsuna screamed as she jerked her head up. Her head pounded.

She heard the bird’s scream from her dream again and felt something tugging frantically on her hair, and a heavy, hot weight on her left arm, the pinch of claws digging through her robes.

“Fawkes,” she gasped, staring at the serious, burning gaze of the bird. “That was a vision!”

The bird screeched again, and resettled its claws on her arm. It ruffled its wings. She looked around.

The last she recalled she had been making her way towards the seventh floor to see if she might Draco Malfoy on his way to or from the Room of Requirement. Yet somehow she had awoken at her desk in her office. Nothing seemed out of place. She looked behind her. All her books were neatly on their shelves.

Fawkes screeched and tugged at her hair again. She spun back around, only now registering the whistling sound coming from the right corner of her desk. She jumped up from her chair.

The dark mark detector spun rapidly, silver pieces a blur around the glass orb in the middle which was filled with the warning green smoke.  
A Death Eater had been here.

Her right hand darted to the ring on her left and she felt her already pounding heart lurch into her throat.

The ring was cold.

_Haruka, Michiru!_

“Take me to them.” Setsuna demanded. Fawkes screeched again, his wings glowed.

And they disappeared in a flash of flame, leaving the office behind the Muggle Studies classroom empty save the dark mark detector still whistling and spinning on the desk.

~ _SMH_ ~

Michiru seemed alright through the first three cups, the fourth though she downed like a shot, wincing (Sirius thought) as if it were Mandrake vodka in the goblet.

“Michiru,” Haruka murmured. Sirius noted that her fingers were turning white from how tightly Michiru squeezing them.

Michiru had squeezed her eyes shut. Her mouth was a thin line. She hung her head as she lowered the empty goblet into her lap. “I can’t do it.”

“You have to,” Sirius said brusquely, reaching forward and taking the goblet from her. He filled it a fifth time and held it out across the glowing, green basin.

“What’s wrong?” Haruka whispered, looking between the brimming goblet and Michiru. “You said this was the only way.”

Michiru shook her head like Hotaru would have while insisting that she shouldn’t have to go to school. “I _can’t_ ,” she cried, her voice raw. “I know what I said – I was wrong.” She looked up at Haruka: her eyes were dark and distant. “Haruka, if we take them, they’ll die.”

“Who?”

“All of them!” Michiru shook her head. “I can’t take a heart crystal again – don’t make me!”

Haruka froze, glancing between Michiru and the goblet of potion, and Sirius.

 _Shit._ Sirius thought.

“You... you don’t have to, Michi,” Haruka said. “You never have to take another one – all you have to do is drink this.”

“That’s it?” Michiru sniffed.

“Yes.” Haruka bit her lip as Michiru took the goblet again, drinking from it for a fifth time.

And once she’d swallowed the potion she moaned, hunching over. Her hands flew to her stomach.

“Michi!”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I failed.”

“You’re not failing!” Sirius jumped in, doubting whether she was even talking about their mission at all. “Look see – there’s less of it now!”

“How many more?” Haruka asked, trying to prop Michiru up.

“Er...” Sirius squinted into the basin. “ten-er-so.”  
“I don’t want to,” Michiru protested shaking her head. “Please – water.”

“We can do that!” Haruka said, pointing her wand into the goblet. “ _Aguamenti!”_ she whispered frantically. A cool stream of water flowed from her wand into the glass and she grinned, holding up for Michiru to drink. “Here.”

Michiru grasped it in shaking hands and tilted the goblet. But by the time it reached her lips the water had vanished. She sobbed. “Please, Haruka – it’s burning.”

“I – I...”

“I’ve got it!” Sirius said, swiping the goblet out of Michiru’s hands. Haruka stared as he dipped it into the basin again and thrust it back at Michiru. “Here – this will make it better,” he said in a soft voice.”

“Promise?”

“Promise,” Sirius assured Michiru, pressing the goblet, brimming with the potion, into her hand.

Haruka glared at him and put an arm around Michiru as she moved to drink the potion. “Why’d you promise that!” she demanded.

“Cause it’s working, isn’t it!” Sirius snapped. “She knew what she was getting into. Didn’t you hear her? And we’re too close to stop now.”

Just then Michiru sobbed. The goblet slipped from her hands and spilled the remaining half of its contents across Michiru’s lap. The potion swiftly vanished, and reappeared within the basin.

“Michi!” Haruka whispered, pulling her closer. Michiru left the goblet in her lap and put her head in her hands. “Michi, it’s okay.” Haruka whispered.

“No! Don’t make me go back – I don’t want to.”

“Whatever you see isn’t real!” Haruka tried.

“But it it hurts!”

“I know – I know,” Haruka looked up at the dark ceiling. “But it’s not real – It’s only the potion.” She kissed Michiru’s hair. “It’s just the potion, I promise.”

“And if you drink this,” Sirius said, “it’ll make all of that go away.” He’d snatched the goblet again and was holding it out to Michiru for the seventh time. “You can’t spill it this time.”

Michiru nodded, biting her lip to stifle a whimper. This time Sirius had to curl her fingers around the neck of the goblet.

She was lifting it to her lips when Haruka grabbed her wrist. “Give her a minute,” Haruka demanded of Sirius.

“In a minute you’ll scrap the whole idea!” Sirius exclaimed. “She said don’t let her stop – this is what she meant.”

“It is making her _see_ things!”

“And if she sees a few more things,” Sirius argued, “we’ll be one horcrux closer to a dead dark lord – a dark lord who _murdered_ my best friends.” He matched Haruka’s cold glare with an icy one of his own. “Now either you make her drink it – or I will.”

They glared at eachother in silence for a while. Sirius left hand on his wand and Haruka’s right hand curled tightly around her sword. The only sound in the silent cave were Michiru’s increasing pleas to stop and then pleas for water. Several times during Haruka and Sirius staring match she tried to bolt for the water lapping at the rocks, held back only by Haruka’s secure grip on her waist.

After a while, a bright, white light appeared from across the water and raced towards them. Remus giant dog patronus appeared, circling around the island. Michiru shrank back towards Haruka as it came to a halt beside her.

“ _Everything alright out there?”_ Remus voice asked. “ _It’s getting late.”_

Haruka closed her eyes and took out her wand. The dragon patronus appeared, circling around she and Michiru before weaving across the black surface of the lake.”

“We’re fine,” Haruka said. “We’ll be done soon.”

Both Patronii faded, leaving only the green light from the basin.

Haruka staked her sword between the rocks. She picked up the goblet that Michiru had dropped into her lap and leaned forwards, closing her eyes as she dipped it into the basin. She filled it and lifted it to Michiru’s lips. “Here, Love,” she whispered. “Drink this.”

Michiru did, coughing when she swallowed it. “ _Nooooo...”_ she moaned. She jerked away from Haruka, towards the water, and Haruka held Michiru back. She glared at Sirius and thrust the goblet back towards him. “You’re filling it,” she said.

He nodded, taking the goblet and filling it to the brim once more. “Half done,” he said.

“I _can’t_.” Michiru whimpered, hunching her shoulders and hiding her face. She was shaking. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Haruka assured her, taking the goblet from Sirius.

And now it seemed Michiru had fallen back into one of the potion’s nightmares for she sniffed and said: “I couldn’t save them.”

“You can now,” Haruka said, feeling despicable as she pushed the goblet towards Michiru. “Just... drink this.”

“It’s burning!”

“It’ll stop,” Haruka promised, putting the goblet right to Michiru’s lips. She had to tip the cup herself this time, and had to make sure Michiru drank it between sobs – one agonizing sip at a time.” As soon as it was finished she nearly threw it back at Sirius, and the full goblet was in her hand again too soon.

Haruka wondered what nightmare Michiru was trapped in as she coerced begged and tricked her into drinking three more goblets of the acursed potion: was it dredging up her worst memories? From this life, those buried with the Silver Millennium?

Or perhaps, Haruka thought as she took the sixteenth goblet from Sirius, each sip drowned Michiru deeper in an entirely new and more frightening nightmare.

When the sixteenth goblet had been poured down Michiru’s throat the shivering former Slytherin hiccuped and a tear dripped down her cheek. “I deserve it,” she whispered, holding her hand out for the next goblet, though Haruka still held the empty one in her hand. “I deserve it, don’t I?”

“No!” Haruka insisted, and Sirius had to pry the goblet from her hand. Haruka checked the basin – it was still so much! “No you don’t, Love.”

“You still have to keep going,” Sirius pressed, thrusting teh Goblet towards Michiru’s open hand. She cried as she drank this one and Sirius darted his hand out to catch the emptied goblet when it slipped from her hand and nearly rolled away into the lake.

As he filled it, Michiru looked up at Haruka. “Go,” she demanded.

“I’m not leaving you,” Haruka said.

“I want you to,” Michiru cried. “You’re not supposed to end up here with me.”

“End up where?” Haruka asked.   
“You’re meant to go to heaven,” Michiru whimpered. “Please, don’t stay here.” She bit her lip, leaning her forehead against Haruka’s chest. “I don’t want you to burn with me.”

Haruka swallowed a sob and held Michiru by the shoulders. “God, Michiru. You’re not in _hell_ you’ve got to believe me. You’ve got to fight this, you understand? It’s only the potion.”

“I am though,” Michiru said, turning away as Sirius held out the next goblet full. “It’s my fault, I deserve it.”

“You don’t, I promise,” Haruka said.

“Stop encouraging her,” Sirius accused. “You’re going to convince her out of it.”

“We’re still doing this my way.” Haruka glared at him.

“It’s my fault,” Michiru whimpered, still shaking her head.

“Yes, it is,” Sirius said, pushing the next goblet towards her. “And if you drink this, all of it, everything that’s left, you can fix it. You can atone for all those sins.”

“Knock it off!” Haruka snapped.

Michiru flinched.

Haruka ignored the goblet Sirius was holding out and cupped Michiru’s face, pressing their foreheads together. “It’s not real,” she told Michiru, whose eyes were closed. “You’ve gotta focus on me – none of the rest is real – so none of it’s your fault. You don’t... you’ll never deserve this. I promise.” She kissed Michiru’s forehead. “I’m real. You know that. The rest isn’t.”

Michiru opened her eyes and looked up at Haruka, her gaze more focused than it had been since her first drink of the potion.

“It’s not real,” Haruka repeated. “You don’t deserve it.”

Michiru nodded and coughed again, curling her arms around her torso. She looked down towards the basin. “Then... then I don’t have to drink anymore?” she begged. “Please...”

Sirius sighed and rolled his eyes. “Now look what you’ve –”

“Shhh!” Haruka told him. She cupped Michiru’s face again and met her eyes. “You still have to,” she said. “You have to finish it.”

Michiru sobbed and closed her eyes again, shaking her head. “No...”

Haruka clenched her fists. “For Serenity?” she asked.

Michiru froze. Her eyes opened, staring forelornly into the basin. “My Queen...”

“Yes,” Haruka said. “To protect her... you can do this for her, right, Love?”

“For Serenity...” Michiru closed her eyes and reached out for the goblet.

“For Serenity,” Haruka repeated, watching Michiru wince as she knocked back the next full goblet. She thrust it back at Sirius, who was gaping. Startled, he hastened to take it and fill it again, putting the next drink into Michiru’s shaking hand. She still clutched her other hand across her stomach, and they.

“For Serenity,” Michiru rasped again. She choked midway through the drink, but finished the whole glass. Haruka saw her eyes growing distant again, the dazed expressing growing with every sip from the damn cup.

“For Serenity,” Haruka repeated each time Michiru wavered.

“For Serenity...”

“For Serenity...”

“For Ser –”

The goblet scrapped against the bottom of the basin. Haruka jumped, looking away from Michiru and staring as Sirius set the goblet aside and touched his hand to the silver and green locket.

“No more...” Haruka whispered. Reaching for Michiru. “You’re done, Love you’re...” She stared.

Michiru’d turned away from her, her hand outstretched, straining out of Haruka’s arms towards the lake. Her fingers twitched.

The water splashed against the shore.

“No,” Sirius whispered.

“Water,” Michiru whimpered. “Need... water.”

The water splashed again. Haruka stared as a wave of it rose up from the lake, straining towards Michiru.

“Make her stop!” Sirius snapped, scooping the locket out of the basin and scrambling to his feet. He threw the silver chain around his neck. He spun around, wand raised. “It’ll wake them.”

Haruka pulled Michiru back. “Michi,” she said, struggling to get Michiru to lower her arm. She looked at the wave. It was flowing towards them, growing taller.

And within the dark water, a gaunt, pale hand stretched its fingers towards them.

“Inferi!” Sirius shouted, conjuring a whip of flame just as Haruka finally managed to jerk Michiru’s arm back to her side. The wave crashed back into the lake.

All was still.

And then the water splashed again, louder. Five tall, skeletal shapes rocketed out of the water around the island.

Green fire tore past them.

“ _Incendio!”_ Sirius shouted, a whip of fire beating three inferi away. Haruka hacked one with her sword and grimaced as Michiru elbowed her in the ribs, still straining towards the lake.

The inferius she’d split in two still raced towards her. It’s legs swinging out to kick them as its arms wrapped around Haruka’s neck.

She kicked the legs away, and shot a fireball from her sword into the top half of the inferius. It released her neck and she coughed. Trying to drag Michiru towards the boat. It was their only way to shore.

A wall of inferi shot out of the lake, rushing towards them. Green fire incinerated them left and right from the shore but more sprang out of the lake to replace them. And, Haruka grunted, Michiru was still fighting her.

“I’m really sorry about this,” Haruka muttered, pointing her sword at Michiru. “ _Stupefy!”_

Michiru’s eyes rolled back in her head as the red spell hit her at close range. She collapsed forwards, and Haruka shot another lash of flame from her sword as she threw Michiru over her shoulder. She scanned all around. There were Inferi approaching from the far side of the cave, out of reach of Rigel and Remus. Sirius had cast a ring of fire around them by that did not seem to be stopping those that thought to jump over it...

And, Haruka cursed, their boat was drifting in the middle of the lake.

“Just gonna have to fight every one of these fuckers,” She muttered, casting another _incendio_ and wishing she’d remembered more of the fire spells. It could hit four at a time sure, four of what appeared to be hundreds who now flooded out of the water.

She secured Michiru’s arms with one of hers and summoned her sword to her hand.

“Sirius!” She shouted, moving back to back with him in the center of the tiny island. They cast fire spell after fire spell into the horde of inferi, cursing each time a splash of the lake water doused the attacks.

“We need a way out!” Haruka shouted.

“I’m thinking!” Sirius shouted back. “Hard to concentrate when – _incendio!”_

The green fire was handling those closer to the shore, but those from the far side of the lake were out of Rigel and Remus reach. And the inferi were all racing that way.

“Fuck it, let’s swim it!” Haruka said, sure the Space Sword could propell them fast enough.

“ _And risk more of these being underneath_!” Sirius shouted. “They’re dead, not dumb!”

“Well the only other way out of this is I transform!” Haruka snapped. “And the magic on this place sets off all kinds of alerts.”

“I’d rather be found than – _gah!”_ Sirius scrambled to cast another fire spell as an Inferius dove in from the side and grabbed his wand arm. He kicked the thing back and shot a whip of flame that cracked across the air. Haruka followed suit, doing a re-count of the numbers. She gripped Michiru tighter. _There’re too many_. She gulped, preparing another attack as a full fifteen rushed her.

There was a flash behind her, a screech. Flame burst outwards in all directions and someone put a hand in her shoulder. Haruka turned as the air flashed again.

And blinked several times. The damp feeling of the cave had vanished, replaced with the warmth and the spice smells that she recognized. She walked into Grimmauld place’s sitting room as the bright room came into focus, and vanished her sword. She felt someone grab her shoulder again and then saw a blur of burgundy robes.

And then Setsuna was in front of her, pulling lifting Michiru off of Haruka and hastening to move her to the couch.

“What happened?” Setsuna demanded, kneeling byt the couch and hovering her wand over Michiru.

“S-stunned,” Haruka replied, stumbling and sighing as she fell onto the arm of the couch.

“ _Renneverate,”_ Setsuna muttered and her wand flashed.

Michiru groaned. Her eyes squinted open. “Water,” she croaked.

“Here,” Sirius said. Haruka looked up and saw he’d summoned a glass from the kitchen, he cast an _Auguamenti_ into it. And passed it to Haruka who handed it off to Setsuna.

She heard a bird screech and blinked, realizing Fawkes was perched on Setsuna’s shoulder. The bird, leaned forwards, over the glass of water, and Haruka watched as the strange creature appeared to cry a tear into it.

“Thank you,” Setsuna murmured. And Fawkes screeched again, flying into the air and disappearing. Setsuna paid him no mind, pressing the glass into the hand Michiru was reaching towards it. Haruka leaned down to help her sit up and slid down onto the couch beside her, watching as she drained the tall glass in three sips. Haruka and Setsuna tensed as Michiru drank it so fast she coughed.

“I’m okay,” she rasped, setting the glass on her lap and leaning her head on Haruka’s shoulder.

Setsuna sighed, closing her eyes and bowing her head. She reached out and clasped one of each of their hands. “Please don’t scare me like that again.”

“Done,” Haruka said, sure she never wanted to see a corpse again as long as she lived.

They heard twin pops from the front hall, and then two pairs of feet racing to them. The three outer Senshi and Sirius, who leaned against the wall, turned as Remus and Rigel, burst into the room, a pool of ocean water gathered at their feet from the dive they must have taken to leave the cave.

“Thank Merlin,” Remus muttered. “Fawkes got you out?”

Sirius nodded, whipping out his wand and casting a drying charm on the last two members of their team.

As Remus moved to hug Sirius and lecture him for not remembering his fire spells, they heard another pair of feet pounding heavily down from one of the upper floors.

Hamish Stebbins burst into the room last, panting and grinning. He went immediately to Rigel. “You’re back!” He cheered. And his eyes darted over all of them, and then to the locket around Sirius neck. “You got it.”

The Horcrux. Sirius looked down and gingerly lifted it from around his neck.

Remus drew his wand. “You _wore_ it!”

“Well how else was I gonna make sure it didn’t fall in the bloody lake!” Sirius grumbled. “Course I wore it... didn’t do anything.” Then his brows furrowed as he regarded the locket, turning it over in his hand. “Would have thought it’d do something...”

Remus waved his wand, muttering something, and frowned. “It... it doesn’t display any dark magic signatures,” he said. “I don’t...”

“And I thought these were meant to be the founders posessions,” Sirius said, now scanning the large locket in search of any house symbols. There were none, just...

His fingers ran across what felt like lettering on the rim of the locket and he turned it to look. And froze.

_Toujours Pur..._

“Sirius!” Remus shouted as Sirius snapped the clasp of the locket. The horcrux sprang open, revealing nothing inside save an aged, folded scrap of parchment. Sirius picked it out and dropped the locket on the floor as he tore open the note, his eyes widened as he read the brief message, the initials of the writer, and then he snapped his head towards the door and roared: “ _KREACHER!”_

~ _SMH_ ~

 _R.A.B._ That was the signer of the note from the locket – a false horcrux, everyone in the room learned shortly after Sirius’ tempermental house elf appeared in the room, saw the locket on the floor, and went into a rage as mighty as Sirius’ own – R.A.B. being more than random initials. They were the same as those inscribed on the door of Michiru and Haruka’s room.

_Regulus Arcturus Black..._

It took some threats, and quite a bit of shouting back and forth, and then Kreacher’s flat out refusal to talk (which prompted Sirius to grab the house elf by the arms and shake him, damanding in no uncertain terms that Kreacher come out with the tale of _why_ Regulus had been anywhere near the horcrux cave) And then, after all that, and with many insults directed at various members of their party, Kreacher told his story.

To learn Sirius’ brother had stolen the original horcrux, and been drowned by the inferi in the effort, turned the tense atmosphere in the sitting room into one far more somber. And when Sirius realized his brother had _been_ one of the monsters that had attacked him in the cave, it took all the anger out of him. He dropped Kreacher, who might have promptly disapparated if the house elf had not been a sobbing mess himself.

“Was it destroyed?” Remus asked gently, and it was a testament, for certain, to the state of the house elf that he deigned to answer Remus, who was normally only refered to as the “Wolf-man.”

“Kreacher couldn’t!” the house elf wailed. “Kreacher tried everything: smashing, and burning, and freezing. Kreacher even tried to break it in half, but it broke his fingers instead.” Kreacher sobbed. “Master would be so ashamed of Kreacher.”

“Well they’re hard to destroy – bloody hell, Kreacher why didn’t you fucking tell one of us?” Sirius demanded. “We’re fighting Voldemort for Merlin’s sake.”

Kreacher shrank back at the mention of Voldemort’s name and twisted his large ears in his fists. “Kreacher _would_ have if Master Sirius ever ordered him to.”

“Well how was I meant to know!” Sirius rolled his eyes. “Where is it. Bring it out here. _That’s_ an order.”

Kreacher muttered what sounded like quite rude things under his breath as he got to his feet and disapparated, appearing again with a silver and green locket, aged quite a bit more than Regulus’ fake. He extended his arm and made Sirius lean down to snatch it from him.

Sirius glared at the locket as he walked up to the coffee table and set it down. He cocked his head to the side as he looked at the emerald encrusted _S_ that adorned the front. “This was in the bloody drawing room,” he muttered. “Right what destroys these things. I can do _Fiend Fyre_.”

“Not in the house,” Remus cautioned as he, Rigel and Hamish gathered round the coffee table to peer at the unassuming locket. Setsuna turned to look as well and even Haruka and Michiru leaned forwards on the couch.

“Killing curse might do,” Rigel said. “Bassilisk venom...”

“So Jadeite’s sword, then,” Haruka recalled. “Hotaru might be able to kill it.”

“Or Sailor Moon,” Setsuna muttered, furrowing her brows as she stared at the locket. Goosebumps prickled on the back of her neck. There was something she wasn’t seeing...

“Didn’t,” Michiru coughed. “Didn’t her power frighten it into possessing a bassilisk though?”  
“I’d rather not fight one of those,” Rigel muttered, “If it’s all the same...”

“All of you mud-bloods _can_ destroy it, yes?” Kreacher demanded.

“Shut up, Kreacher! We’re thinking,” Sirius snapped. He tapped his wand on his arm and raised it. “Right... might as well try a killing curse. Someone hold the chain.” Haruka leaned forwards to do just that. Sirius readied his wand. “Look at that Reg,” he muttered under his breath. “You got your head out of your ass all along.” His eyes turned cold as he gathered power for the curse.

And Setsuna gave the locket one more look, the goosbumps on the back of her neck seemed to demand it. Her eyes caught on the small, bluish gem embedded just below the hinges...

“Stop!” she demanded.

“ _What?”_

“ _WHY?”_ Sirius and Kreacher shouted at the same time.

“We can’t destroy it,” Setsuna said. And Haruka had to jerk the locket away from Kreacher as the distraught elf wailed and dove to snatch the horcrux away.

“Master Regulus said –”

“I know what he said,” Setsuna told the elf, who was now straining out of Sirius grip trying to steal the locket back from Haruka. “And we do still want to destroy the Horcrux Kreacher, but we can’t destroy the locket.”

“I can’t believe I agree with Kreacher,” Sirius muttered. “But _why_? What’s so damn special about it?”

Setsuna grabbed the locket, stopping it from continuing to spin on its chain. She held the front face up the the light and pointed to the small detail that had caught her attention. Michiru and Haruka gasped.

“This gem is a Zoicite.”

~ _I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good~_


	13. A Grim Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last Time on Sailor Moon H: The Order and Senshi's joint team (S.W.O.S.) successfully recovered the false Horcrux placed by Regulus Black, and subsequently ordered Kreacher to hand over the original Horcrux at Grimmauld. They were unable to destroy it, however, when it was revealed that Slytherin's locket is also the artefact that contains the Zoicite stone. Plans to destroy the locket were immediately put on hold until the order and the senshi could figure out how to destroy the horcrux without destroying Sir. Zoicite. The same day of the heist, Setsuna was also faced by a discomfiting revelation: Someone at Hogwarts has taken the potion that masks their actions from her sight, and may have been the reason she blacked out on a patrol of the castle and wound up in her office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I'm so sorry this took so long. I wasn't in the best place to write between finishing grad school applications, preparing for the Women's March, and otherwise letting stress over America's Trumpertantrum get to me. I got blocked on this chapter – and I apologize if the quality of the writing suffers as a result. (Anyone following my blog knows I've been calling this "The Struggle Chapter"). But it's done now, and I'm really happy to be back on track. I think I've also learned some valuable lessons from it, which I'm employing as I work on the end of this story, and begin working on the next one. So thanks for sticking with me through a tough winter – especially the wonderful people who emailed and reviewed and commented and chatted with me on Tumblr – you helped keep me motivated and remember this was worth it.
> 
> Disclaimer: See chapters 1 or 9

**A Grim Christmas**

The Christmas Season at Hogwarts was not the usual, jovial affair it would have been in other years, though the staff and many of the prefects tried valiantly to create such an atmosphere. There were extra garlands shimmering in every corridor, occasional flurries of snow that swept across the entrance hall, and Mcgonagall had even managed to cajol Peeves into singing proper carols. What she’d offered him in return, none knew, and the effort failed anyway once Peeves noted how few appreciated his singing and made to pelt the least appreciative with dung bombs.

Morale sank further as the last week before the holidays ticked on: each day more and more students found their names on the ever-growing list of those staying at the castle. While the process was usually handled discreetly by the Heads of House, this year there seemed to have been a startling spike in parents requesting their children remain at the castle, requiring a list to be posted outside the Great Hall on the 15th of December which grew each day that passed until the parchment had rolled out onto the floor of the Entrance Hall.

“I’m surprised you’re all staying,” Hannah Abbott said to Makoto as they checked the list before breakfast on the 19th – the day before the train to London was due to depart. “Most people are staying cause of the war, but you’re no where near it.”

Makoto shrugged. “Well – s’not like I have family or a boyfriend to celebrate with anyways. And besides, there’s tons of people staying right? This place will be loads more fun.”

“I hope so,” Hannah said, scanning up the list of remainers. Her eye caught on an unexpected name near the top. It hadn’t been there yesterday.

 _Susan Bones_.

“She’s staying!” Hannah exclaimed. “But... but she always goes home!”

“Doesn’t her aunt work with the Aurors?” Makoto asked.

“Well... yes, but I’d think that’d mean she’s safer...” Hannah trailed off as they walked through the doors of the Great Hall. The mail had come already, but rather than looking at the letters in their hands, the whole hall was silently staring towards the front of the Hufflepuff table: Where a short, auburn haired sixth year had stood from her seat. She was speaking to a resigned looking Professor Sprout. The sixth year’s hand was waving a letter in her fist, the first clue to Hannah and Makoto that an argument was being waged.

The second clue was Susan’s voice, a harsh whisper that never the less carried across the entirety of the silent Great Hall.

“I _always_ go home!” Susan said as they approached; Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs along the aisle leaned out of their way. “She’ll be by herself!” Susan said.

“I think your aunt will fare just fine given one Christmas on her own Susan,” Sprout said. “And she wants you to be safe here.”

“ _Our home’s warded!_ ” Susan fumed.

“And wards are only as powerful as the counterspells used to break them,” Sprout said. “I’m sure your aunt will be safe, but she knows she has many enemies... more so these days. She only wants to be sure you’re not endangered by them. Besides – she may well be working the holidays.”

“She does every year! She takes me to work with her!”

Sprout sighed. “These are not other years, Susan. The Auror office will be doing far more than dealing with A.U.I.s and domestic disputes.”

Susan could not be disuaded though. She glared at Sprout, then at the signature on the letter in her hand, and then back at her Head of House. She squared her shoulders and lifted her head high. “I’m 16. I’m _not_ staying.”

“16 isn’t of age,” Sprout pointed out, shaking her head. “I’m sorry – you can of course write your aunt and ask her to change her mind, and there would be a place for you on the train. But if she insists, then you’ll spend Christmas here – don’t worry!” Sprout assured her. “We’ll have a spectacular bit of fun.”

It was a negotiation that had played out at every table and in every fireplace connected to the floo that week. While a few, like Hannah and Neville, managed to talk their families around, many more like Susan lost soundly. It was even clearer in the Entrance Hall on Saturday morning, when the whole school crowded in after breakfast to watch the sparce few lucky enough to be permitted home drag their luggage out to the carriages.

“Lots more first and second years than I thought,” Ron noticed. “I mean, blimey. If Mum thought it was dangerous to let me and Gin come home, I can’t imagine...”

“They’re all muggleborn,” Hermione confided to him, Harry, Neville, Luna and Ginny as they lingered at the back of the group of leavers. “Most of the kids here are...” she surveyed the crowd with hard eyes as they approached the carriages. “Cause their parents don’t know there’s a war on.”

“Come to think of it there’s almost no purebloods here,” Neville noted. “Save... us... and Hannah.”

“All the blood-traitors,” Ginny muttered, itching to conjure her sword.

On her left, Harry stiffened. “D’you think the train’s a target then?” Harry asked, looking back towards the castle. Very few Slytherins had lingered on the steps to see the students off. Malfoy was one of those missing. “Did all the Death Eaters tell their kids to stay here so they can attack the muggleborns.”

Ron swore.

“And a Bones or a Weasley in the mix would be the icing on the cake,” Ginny said.

“I-it won’t come to that will it?” Neville asked. “I mean... we could fight them off – we did at the ministry.”

“You’re all forgetting too,” Luna said, stopping as they searched for an empty carriage in order to pet one of the thestrals. She pointed upwards. “They’ve prepared for that.”

The others looked up.

“Is that a thestral?”

There was, indeed, one thestral above the carriages. They could just make out the white boots of someone flying astride it. The Hogwarts students didn’t need the gleam of the trident in her hand to confirm which Senshi was flying it – Neptune’s distaste for broomsticks was a well known one.

There was, however, a broomstick rider next to her. And it was much easier to identify Uranus dark blue skirt and twin swords. Just as it was easy to identify the green haired figure who flew to them from the castle, her white boots crossed as she perched atop the lavender staff with the dark red gem on the top. Hermione wondered if Sailor Pluto’s garnet rod had always been able to fly, or if there was some spell she’d found to do the job.

A bright flash of color caught Harry’s eye from the direction of Gryffindor tower and he drew all five of his friends attention to it: A figure in an orange skirt and with an equally orange whip was flying towards the three other senshi. They all huddled briefly and separated, two flying to the front of the carriages and two to the back.

“I love when they leave me out of the missions,” Ginny muttered. She walked up to the next empty carriage and threw her rucksack inside before climbing in and closing the door. Through the carriage window they saw a fiery red flare, and when they opened the carriage to follow, Jadeite was there to welcome them, hand on the pommel of their sword.

Even before the six students had all settled into their seats, they drew their wands. They all crowded near both the carriage windows rather than talk, peering out at the grounds the entire way to Hogsmeade station. The skies were crystal clear, the sun so bright it reflected a blinding white off the foot of packed snow that crunched under the carriage wheels and thestral hooves.

“D’you think the train’s really gonna be attacked?” Ron asked.

“Dunno,” Harry said. “Didn’t see it...” He almost wished he could have more, unintended visions of Voldemort, for Harry was already seeing the limits of Rei’s fire gazing trick. So far, whenever he had time to meditate beside the common room fire, nothing interesting was happening on Voldemort’s side. Harry tightened his grip on his wand and leaned closer to the carriage door as the grey smoke stacks from Hogsmeade drew closer.

They rolled towards the station, passing evergreens drooping with heavy snow. Some, outside Hogwarts borders, were shriveled, twisted and burnt (the results of stray curses that had struck the trees).

As the station neared, cold briefly pierced through the charmed wood of the carriage, Harry shivered, seeking out and finding the black, cloaked beings responsible in seconds. The dementors loomed over Hogsmeade station: four all along the roof.

Jadeite grabbed his hand as he moved to cast his patronus. “Wait.” They squeezed it.

Harry heard a whip crack overhead. A swarm of bright, orange birds dove away from the front of the caravan of carriages and towards the dementors on the station roof. Two managed to flee, but the birds trapped the remaining two between them, reducing both dementors to whisps of smoke and shreds of black cloth that blew harmlessly in the december breeze.

“That’s probably not the only thing they’ve got waiting,” Ron said. “It’s six hours between here and London.”

Harry saw Venus and Pluto circle around to the far side of the station, where steam was churning out of the top of a scarlet steam engine. He bet Uranus and Neptune would be moving to the back.

“We should be ready to help them,” Harry said as the carriage door clicked and swung open. “Come on.”

The six of them were the first to venture out into the snow, leading the exodus of students from the carriages.

“Head for the middle car,” Ron said. “We could get to all parts of the train pretty quickly from there.”

The four senshi overhead watched the students as they scrambled through the snow, dragging their luggage, most even laughing at the prospect of being home for Christmas.

“Are they really going to attack the train?” Venus asked Pluto.

The time guardian’s mouth was a thin line, her gaze looking far from the students below them as she scanned the horizon in all directions. She jerked her head quickly to the side.

“Voldemort is not,” Pluto said. Her gaze fell towards the ground. Mcgonagall and Sprout were escorting the last of the students onto the Hogwarts Express. They separated on the platform, heading towards the front and back of the train. Mcgonagall looked up as she boarded the front car, and nodded to Sailor Pluto.

_“We’ll need extra security on that train,” Dumbledore had told the professors who gathered in his office the night of the 15th._

_“Surely he wouldn’t attack so many children!” Poppy Pomphrey exclaimed. “He’d have no idea there weren’t purebloods on the train as well.”_

_“Wouldn’t he?” Dumbledore nodded to Severus Snape._

_“His followers have instructed all their children to remain here for the holidays,” Severus said. “And all those students, it appears, have told their friends the same. The majority of my house has elected to stay.”_

_“And many purebloods in mine,” Flitwick said._

_“And mine,” Sprout added. “Save Abbott and a few others.”_

_“And he certainly wouldn’t care about hurting Abbott or the Weasleys no matter how pureblooded,” Mcgonagall muttered. “You know – I used to dream of the day I could send Potter off on the Christmas train. Now, not so.”_

_“We can protect them,” Setsuna said as all eyes around the staff table turned to her._

_“You know,” Slughorn raised his hand. “If... if it’s just a security precaution, I could go as well.”_

_“It will be more than a precaution,” Setsuna said. “We have to assume the train is a target, if not for Voldemort than for Lestrange.”_

_“Oh, well... erm.”_

_Severus rolled his eyes. “Can’t stand up to a_ Cruciatus _, Horace?” he muttered._

_“Well... you know I’ve heard they’re unpleasant,” Horace stammered. “Still,” he squared his shoulders and looked at Setsuna. “I could defend the train with you.”_

_“That won’t be necessary,” Setsuna said. “There are others who are well equipped to defend it.”_

~ _SMH_ ~

By the time the students had boarded the train, most had realized that the majority of them were muggleborn, and (despite the many empty compartments up and down the train) rumours had spread from Colin Creevey at the front to Hufflepuff chaser Jason Summerby at the back before the hot chocolate that had been waiting in each compartment had been finished. Even the reassurances of the prefects, those few available to patrol the train, could not quell the rumours. The students fears and speculations simmered in each sparsely populated carriage, dwindling only when the sweets trolley came round to boost their spirits. As the hours ticked by and the train powered towards London, those fears only grew. For surely an attack by the death eaters would be over the nearing hills or around the next bend. Each time the Express rolled through tunnels or across bridges every student in every carriage held their breath.

There were two attempted attacks: one via giants who hid beyond the hills in Yorkshire, lobbing boulders towards the steam train; and another as they neared the edges of London, where a group of twenty vampires attempted to project their spirits onto the train to enthral the students. The vampire attack came closest to succeeding. Their spirits breached the train. But Professor Sprout, thanks to a warning from the senshi, managed to ward each compartment along the train from intrusion until the senshi (half a mile away) had successfully dispatched the physical monsters.

The only evidence to the students of anything gone awry, by the time the Express arrived at Kings Cross, was a strong scent of garlic as they crowded into the hallways of the carriages, and the dust from demolished boulders which had dulled the train’s scarlet paint.

Harry and company were briefly halted in the hallway of the train as they attempted to disembark. The students who’d reached the doors first had stopped short at the exits.

“Oi!” Ron hollered to the crowd at the door, while Ginny, de-transformed now, tried to peer into the compartments and through the windows to see the cause of the hold up. All she could see were the vague forms of many people on the platform, and a lot of scarlet towards the back of the crowd.

The scarlet, they found as they finally reached the doors of the train, was the cause of the hold up, for students had paused to gape at the bright, vivid robes of twenty aurors all lined up along the perimeter of the platform. And not just any aurors, Ginny, Ron, and Neville noticed: all wore the silver insignia of senior level law enforcement.

And in the middle, standing at the exit of the platform, was a short woman with silver in her auburn hair, drawn up in a bun as sever as Mcgonagall’s. Her steely eyes scanned across the platform, one through the pink glass of a monocle. On her scarlet auror robes, was the silver and purple badge that marked the highest standing member in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement – Amelia Bones.

“They’re not taking any chances,” Ginny muttered as her mother and father bustled to the front of the crowds of parents.

Once Molly had hugged all of them – even Luna and Neville, Ron turned to his father with a puzzled frown.

“I thought the ministry was still downplaying the war,” Ron said.

“They are, officially at least,” Arthur said.

“Then… why’d so many aurors come guard the train?” Ron asked.

“It’s… er…” Arthur stammered.

A gruff bark startled them as they turned, in time for a giant black dog to barrel through the crowds and stop short in front of them, tail thumping against the floor as he grinned at Harry.

“Oh good, you made it,” Molly said.

“Sorry!” a man called. They all looked up. A tall, skinny man with hair the same color as his tweed suit was elbowing his way through the muggle families on the platform (all busy welcoming their children with early presents and muggle winter coats to put over their Hogwarts cloaks).

“Remus!” Harry grinned, greeting him with a hug as he made it to them.

“Got held up finding a spot for the car,” Remus explained, and he looked over at Neville, “We’re going to drop you off at your grandmother’s along the way.”

Neville nodded. “I guess they didn’t know there’d be so much security,” Neville said, “Maybe Mum and Dad would have come themselves.”

“Well not many people did know,” Remus said. “It wasn’t a ministry decision.”

“But…” Ginny looked at her father. “Then how’d they get so many senior aurors here?”

“I – I am not _supposed_ to know,” Arthur stressed. “I mean… well I suppose there’s no one here who would pass it on to Scrimgeour. They’re here in an unofficial capacity.”

“But… they’re in uniform…” Ron said.

“That’s… well… I can’t,” Arthur glanced around. There really were few other wizards or witches on the platform, and none of his colleagues. Still. He lowered his voice. “Wait until we get into the car.”

The cars were parked a row over from each other: two small, white cars procured somehow by the Order. The Weasleys and Luna set off to the burrow in one, and Harry, Hermione, and Neville in the other.

Away from the crowds, Arthur and Remus felt freer to explain.

“As far as any of us knows,” Arthur explained to his children and Luna, “The DMLE requested additional security on the platform and was denied by Scrimgeour several weeks ago – he’s under a lot of pressure to be putting resources into protecting businesses and other wizarding properties.”

 

In the other car, driving east rather than west. Remus told much the same to Hermione, Harry, and Neville. Hermione was outraged. “Because protecting muggle born students isn’t important?!”

“I’m sure it is to Scrimgeour,” Remus tried to explain. “But what he believes personally and what he can do politically are very different things.”

In the front seat, Padfoot barked and transformed into Sirius. “He’s inherited an absolute mess from Fudge. Budget’s in shambles from what Arthur’s said. Public fears are rampant. He thinks by protecting more wizards from the Death Eaters he’ll keep more people from turning to their side.”

“That’s stupid!” exclaimed Harry.

 

“That’s politics,” Arthur Weasley explained to his own car when Ron said much the same. “In any case, the official security request was denied.”

“But… then how were twenty aurors on the platform?” Ginny asked.

“Well…”

 

“I don’t know all the details,” Remus explained to Harry, Hermione and Neville. “It was largely organized outside the Order.”

“Bones’ doing,” Sirius said, a grin on his face. “Always knew I’d make a rebel of her eventually…”

 

Arthur, from his own experience within the Ministry bureaucracy, had more to tell those in his car. “The way I believe it worked out is, she doesn’t have the power to reassign aurors from places the minister has demanded be protected, but she does have the ability to independently rearrange their schedules. If I had to guess, the senior aurors we saw, those she trusts, would have called in sick or had the day off…”

 

Sirius thought much the same as Arthur did. “Probably played it right out of the corruption case we cracked in 81,” he chortled leaning over the back of his seat. “She’d have asked all of them to come guard the platform, and paid them right out of the Bones accounts. Scrimgeour and the ones directing him can’t do much about it.”

Neville frowned. “Would it be against the rules for them to be in uniform there then?”

“Bones will take the fall for that,” Sirius said, waving dismissively. “It’s the statement that matters.”

Hermione got it immediately. “That all those kids and families on the platform will know that there’s still people in power to protect them,” she breathed.

“You’ve got it,” Remus smiled. “I’ve never know Amelia Bones to be particularly rebellious, but then again I don’t believe she’s ever had her job conflict with her morals as it does now.”

“And,” Sirius smirked, “it’s going to be a surprise bludger for all the money-interests and Death Eater agents trying to get power in the ministry.”

“Doesn’t that put Madam Bones in danger?” Neville asked as they wound through the borough of London where his grandmother’s home was.

“She was a threat to Voldemort long before she started giving the Auror office more targeted initiatives,” Remus said. “There’ve been two attempts on her since the Department of Mysteries.”

“They’d rather have Yaxley or Rowle in her spot,” Sirius said. “Or the Carrows – Not sure how they’ve managed to keep their noses clean so long. But anyways,” Sirius turned around in his seat. “I have more important things to ask, as Harry seems to have left it out of all _two_ of the letters we’ve gotten since _September_.”

Harry’s felt his ears burning. He’d started writing what must have been dozens of replies to his godfather and Remus’ letters over the past few months, most of which got lost in his notes, or scrapped, or set aside as revision for his NEWT courses piled up.

“You could never be bothered to send Andromeda a note in school, you can hardly talk,” Remus reminded Sirius, who waved his hand dismissively.

“Yes, but that’s beside the point. The point is: I’ve written Harry the same question three times now, and I still don’t have an answer,” Sirius said, and pointed at his godson. “What do you want for Christmas?”

Harry blinked at him. “Er...” Last year Sirius hadn’t asked. Then again, Harry realized, he had still been in hiding last year, unable to go out to the shops. Harry wished immediately that he hadn’t asked, as it would’ve saved Harry from having to scramble for an answer.

What did people ask for Christmas? He’d always been happy to get anything. “Er…” Harry thought. “Socks?”

Sirius stared at him, and so did Remus in the rear view mirror, and then at each other.

Sirius let out a short laugh and then stared at Harry.

“Kid, you’re killing me – Hermione, what do you want for Christmas?”

“Uh…” Hermione looked between Harry and Neville, floundering a bit. She had, thus far, decided not to think of it, given she’d sent her parents abroad in the summer. “Books.”

Sirius sighed. “Neville what did you ask your parents for?”

“Nothing,” Neville replied. “I have them back… I didn’t even think of anything else I wanted.” He thought for a moment. “I suppose it’d be nice to get a new plant or trowel though.”

In the front seat, Remus was chuckling.

“He’s asking,” Remus told Harry. “Because he spoiled you in July, and he’s run out of ideas.”

“Have not!” Sirius declared. “I have lots of ideas. If you want socks,” Sirius declared, wagging his finger at Harry, “then you’ll be getting absolutely all of the best, most ridiculous socks I can come up with.” He turned around and settled back into his seat, rubbing his chin. “Where do they sell Christmas socks?”

Harry, for a moment, felt his throat get a little tight, and his eyes get watery. He looked out the window, his reflection was smiling. In the front seat, Sirius was debating with Remus what kinds of socks would be spectacular Christmas presents.

He was still musing about it after they’d dropped Neville off, and were driving into the neighbourhood around Grimmauld. Harry’d gotten over feeling the happy feeling he got whenever he remembered he had a family now, and had started to consider whether he ought to think of something other than socks – especially as Sirius had just asked Remus if he remembered the neon charm – when Hermione stiffened next to him. Harry looked up and saw Remus turn the car in the middle of the road and drive it right towards the grey face of number 14 Grimmauld Place. Hermione squeaked and Harry shivered. But they didn’t hit the building. The car drove right through the grey stone, emerging into a hidden alley, so narrow the sides of the car scrapped the walls as they climbed out.

“Found it in the blueprints,” Sirius threw in as they made their way round to the front of the townhouse and up number 12’s steps. “Dad apparently used to keep a bicycle there. Wasn’t charmed, mind. It was a rusty, old, muggle thing.” Sirius slammed the car door and stretched, scanning the gap between the buildings in the process. “Goes to show even purists have their vices. Anyways.” He led Harry and Hermione round to the stairs of Number 12, his wand out the entire time. Remus, behind them, continued to scan up and down the street. Sirius bounded up the stairs and jammed the key into the lock, he pushed the door open and waved them inside with a flourish. “ _We_ have holidays to start up.”

Harry stared as he and Hermione walked into the narrow entrance hall, except it did not appear so narrow anymore. The decorations – from the gold garlands wrapped round the coat rack and the stair rails to the tinsel sprinkled across the side table and hung (along with colourful, flashing stars) from the lamps – made the whole space look brighter and wider.

They noticed something else that was different from when they’d left in September: the burnt wall space that had once been Mrs. Black’s portrait had been swapped over for a new bronze frame that stretched the length of the wall and was tall enough to cover the entirety of the scorched wallpaper. Inside the polished frame was not one picture but two, placed one atop the other. Harry recognized the top one: the original Order. His throat constricted as he identified his parents waving from the middle of the portrait, a younger Remus, Peter Pettigrew, and a Sirius with a goofy grin crammed in on all sides of them.

Harry looked down at the same spot in the second picture. It was the current Order. In the place his parents and all the marauders had occupied in the old picture, an older Sirius and Remus stood alone, staring much more solemnly out from the frame.

Hermione pointed at the old picture, at twin red-heads that were elbowing a younger Sirius. “Are they Weasleys?”

“Prewetts,” Remus answered. “Gideon and Fabian – Molly’s younger brothers. And the reason, I believe she was so reluctant to let Fred and George join up.”

Harry found Fred and George in the new picture, exactly where Gideon and Fabian had been posing making silly faces in the original. To their left and right, were their parents, Bill Weasley, and (Harry was startled to see) Fleur Delacour. He hadn’t realized she had joined.

“The New one adds people as they join,” Sirius explained as Harry and Hermione compared the pictures. “Neat trick.”

The old photograph was three rows deep, people cramming into the frame. The new one was barely two rows. Those absent ran the gamut from the stout old men that had once stood by Dumbledore’s side, to a whole clan of people who had Hannah Abbott’s hair and chin. There seemed to be some consciousness to how everyone was arranged in the new Order photo, for Timothy Abbott stood in the same space in the second row that his family had in 1979. And, where the bespeckled, balding, laughing man stood with his arms around a younger McGonagall in the old photo, an equally jubilant (though much shorter) Rolanda Hooch stood holding hands with her in the new one. Harry spotted the younger, smiling, Frank and Alice Longbottom in the old photograph, and their older, drawn faces in the new one. Augusta Longbottom now stood with them.

Harry scanned the old picture again, just to see if he recognized anyone else. There was a whole family in the third row of the old photo: an older man and two younger ones crowded in with a woman who had Susan Bones’ nose. Harry flicked his eyes to the new picture to see if anyone had replaced them, and recognized the monocled, stern face of the leader of the Aurors lingering hesitantly in the corner of the frame.

“Madam Bones is in the Order?” Hermione asked.

Sirius leaned in and squinted at the corner of the frame. “Merlin’s balls she really is!” Sirius exclaimed, ignoring Remus reprimand about language. He turned to Hermione and Harry and explained. “She wasn’t the last time I looked. Means Amelia must have riddled out what Tonks pin means, or she wouldn’t be on here.”

“Pin?” Hermione asked.

Sirius nodded, and withdrew something from his jacket: a gold phoenix pin – identical to the gold birds that decorated the corners of the picture frame. “Got the idea from your D.A. coins so we could send info where a Patronus would be too noticeable.” Sirius grinned and clapped Hermione on the shoulder. “Kingsley said he’s got a job for you whenever you want it.”

Hermione looked tickled pink the entire walk through the main hallway, which was even more elaborately decorated than the entryway. Harry privately considered whether someone else had decorated this year, or if perhaps Sirius better mood (from being a free man) had carried over to his decorating. The colors and ornaments in the main hallway were startling. Harry was hard pressed to look closely at any one thing. Red garlands, twined with gold, arced all across the tops of the walls. The windows had been charmed to display a constant snowfall and so had the doors that lined the hallway. One of the bookshelves was a stage featuring a troupe of can-canning candy canes, and the grandfather clock at the end of the hall no longer counted hour by hour. Instead the minute, second and hour hand all ticked closer and closer to a single date where 12 o’clock would normally be: 25/12.

There was even mistletoe. One sprig drifting perilously up and down the length of the hall. They had to give it a wide berth. It nearly chased Harry into the dining room.

“That was this one’s idea,” Remus told them as he deftly banished the encroaching mistletoe to the other end of the hallway, clearing the way to the basement and the library. “We restricted him to one,” he checked his watch. “If you two don’t mind waiting, we can have dinner all together in an hour.”

“Or if not,” Sirius added. “I’ll send Kreacher up to the library with something.”

Harry frowned. “Why?” He asked.

Before Remus or Sirius could respond, they all heard the crack of apparition from the entryway, and the crash of a coat rack being knocked to the floor.

“Wotcher!” Tonks greeted them as she staggered into the hallway, followed by a smirking Kingsley.

Harry looked seriously up at his sheepish guardians. “There’s an Order meeting, then?”

“There is,” Sirius confirmed. “And I promise we’ll give you some of the details later.”

“ _Some!_ ”

“Well…” Sirius sighed and shrugged. “I’d tell you everything if we didn’t have to worry about Voldemort, Prongslet.”

The moniker did not soften Harry’s mood. “Voldemort hasn’t seen through my head in a year!” Harry said. “Rei blocked him…”

“We think,” Remus cautioned. “As you can still see into his head, we’re not entirely sure.” He opened the basement door, waving Tonks, Kingsley, and Sirius ahead of him. Harry pushed past Remus too, Hermione close behind him, trying to hold him back by his sleeve. “Will Mina be there?” Harry demanded as he followed Sirius down the stairs.

Sirius turned back and shook his head. “I can’t do anything about that, Harry. She’s of age.”

“Hermione’s of age!”

Sirius frowned, continuing to walk down the stairs. “Didn’t know that… Hermione if you want to join we certainly can’t stop you.”

Harry gaped at him. “But!”

“That’s alright,” Hermione said. “I can wait.”

“Sirius!” Harry said as they reached the bottom of the stairs. The door to Grimmauld’s kitchen was open. He could see Mina, Professor Meioh, Haruka, and Michiru already inside, speaking with two boys Harry recognized from Fred and George’s year… along with Moody, Dumbledore, Mcgonagall…

“I’m sorry, Prongslet,” Sirius said as the boy with the dreadlocks – Stebbins or something – stepped aside to make room for the late arrivals. “It’s out of my hands.”

In the gap Stebbins had left at the table, Harry caught sight of something that Moody’s magical eye was glaring at: a white bag, in the middle of the table. Looking at it made Harry’s scar twinge. He stiffened. “That’s a Horcrux,” Harry breathed. “You found one.”

“How did… no never mind,” Sirius shook his head and looked up at Remus, who had just made it down the stairs. “I’m sorry, Harry,” Sirius repeated, his shoulders sagging as he slinked backwards into the kitchen. “It’s Dumbledore’s call.”

“But!” Harry insisted.

Remus put a hand on his shoulder and stepped in front of Harry. “We’ll speak to Dumbledore about it,” Remus assured him. “For now, this is _very_ pressing, Harry. This is a meeting we really do have to keep top-secret.” He looked at Harry and Hermione over the top of his glasses. “Perhaps the books Sirius has left out in the library will be enough for you.”

Harry scowled, shrugging off Remus hand and looking at the floor. “Fine,” Harry muttered. “Go talk about important stuff.” He stormed off up the stairs, aware of Hermione’s quick footsteps following him.

“Harry,” she said after they’re reached the ground floor and Harry had thrown open the library door.

“Don’t start, Hermione,” Harry said. “I know, alright: I can’t expect special treatment because I’m ‘The Chosen One’.”

“I wasn’t going to say that!” Hermione exclaimed, grabbing his arm and moving in front of him, a stern look on her face. “I was going to say that you should absolutely get to be there – you’ve got to deal with Voldemort more than anyone.”

Harry blinked. “You agree with me?”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Honestly, you and Ron, I swear. Of _course_ I agree with you! If Crookshanks hadn’t eaten my last extendable ear, we’d be listening right now.” She released his robes and strode into the library stacks, fingers skimming along the shelves as she wound towards their favorite study table. “But we can read what they’re talking about… at least if I understood Remus correctly.”

 _“The books Sirius left out in the library.”_ Harry’s eyes widened. For a moment he felt an uncomfortable twist in his gut for having yelled at Remus, but he tried to dismiss it. He could apologize later. For now he hurried ahead, in pursuit of Hermione. She had turned down another row of books, eyes drawn to several volumes that had been hastily stuffed back onto the shelves.

A thought occured to him as he caught up with her and noted one of the books she was examining was a potions volume. “Where’s Snape?”

“Isn’t that obvious?” Hermione asked him, pushing open the door to the ground floor and making a bee-line for the library. “Voldemort can read minds, Harry, Snape’s their spy; the less he knows, the better.”

Harry swallowed the lump in his throat. He was feeling more and more conflicted about his continued suspicions of Snape, especially the more he learned about how the man dealt with his double-agent status. “Fair,” he admitted as the made their way through the library. It looked like it had seen heavy use recently: Dark Arts books still lay strewn across the unused shelves, stools, and ladders, and many more were haphazardly wedged back onto their shelves. Hermione pulled out some of those sticking out of the shelves as she passed. She’d collected ten by the time they reached the most-used study table in the library, one with three books already strewn across it with many slips of parchment sticking out of them. One caught Harry’s eye, due simply to the cloaked figure – like a dementor – hovering omionously on the cover.

“ _The Nature of Destruction_ ,” Harry muttered, idly flipping through to the contents while Hermione leaned over his shoulder in interest. “This has tons of curses in it.”

“I think... it’s talking about how each one destroys things, see,” Hermione said, flipping to the front and pointing to the chapter titled _Reducto v. Diffindo._ “Are they...” she bit her lip. “Do you suppose they’re having trouble destroying that Horcrux?”

“I guess,” Harry said, flipping through the book. “But... they destroyed the ring one just fine... and I did the Diary in with a Bassilisk fang.” He furrowed his brow. “What’s so special about this one?”

Downstairs at the partial Order meeting, Sirius had dumped the locket out onto the table-top as soon as the kitchen door’d been locked, and Tonks had just come out with the very same question as Harry. It was clearly the first Horcrux many members present had seen. Tonks hair had spiked and turned an alarmed white, and Mcgonagall had her wand pointed at the locket as though it might attack her any second. So did Moody, as it happened, though his wand was hidden under the table.

“There’s two souls inside,” Dumbledore informed the group, prompting Mcgonagall and Kingsley to gasp. “One, we very much want to destroy; the other, we don’t.”

The silver locket, gleaming as though new, seemed to glare at them due to the red light reflecting off it from the kitchen’s candles. In particular, the blue-green Zoicite stone above the Slytherin coat of arms gave the impression, at least to Mina, of a particularly mocking eye.

 _Or maybe,_ Mina considered, tearing her gaze away from the locket as Moody began to speak. _Maybe the souls in there really can see out of that thing._

“Both’d be dark magic all the same!” Moody snapped. “Horcrux is a Horcrux, other soul, whoever he is, is just as guilty of murder as Voldemort.”

“The other soul contained within this locket, functions differently than a Horcrux,” Setsuna explained. “For one,” she pointed to the bluish-green gem on the top of the locket. “It is contained only within the Zoisite stone, not infused into the whole locket. For another,” she looked at every person present. “It isn’t a horcrux, but a whole soul, of an unwitting, living person that is contained within the gemstone.”

“Don’t see how imprisoning your whole soul’s any better than imprisoning part,” Tonks muttered, shivering. “You’d do to yourself just what the dementors do to people then.”

“But...” Minerva frowned. “If I recall correctly, young Ginevra’s aquisition of the Sword of Gryffindor and her new magic are due to such a thing.”

“Exactly,” Mina pointed to the locket. “Zoisite’s the same situation as Jadeite. They just... got their gem hijacked.”

“And our friends here,” Dumbledore continued. “Need that soul to be restored. All our research these ten days,” he told the room. “Has gone towards ensuring Zoisite remains unhar –”

“Hold it!” Moody growled, his low voice as soft as a whisper, but sharp enough to cut across the whole kitchen. “Got a listener.” His magical eye stared towards the icebox. “Black,” he said, jerking his head towards the ice box. On the table, he put one of his intact fingers on the tabletop. Sirius nodded and raised his wand.

“Anyways,” Moody said. he tapped his finger once. “As I was saying,” twice. “It’s still dark magic,” three taps.

Sirius waved his wand. A jet of red light shot out, splintering through the door of the icebox. They all heard a thud as something fell over inside.

Moody stormed over to it, jerking off the door and pulling out a stunned, rag-clothed creature who looked like a fat, frozen raisin. He had a large snot hanging out of his nose, Mina saw, wrinkling her nose along with Michiru as Moody dumped Kreacher the house-elf onto the kitchen table.

Sirius growled the elf’s name, scowling. “ _Renneverate,”_ he said, pointing his wand at the elf.

The moment Kreacher was restored, he gasped and launched towards the center of the table with his skinny fingers stretching towards the locket.

“Freeze!” Sirius ordered the elf. Kreacher cried out as he did, crashing into the table and banging his elbows and his chin in order to obey Sirius command to the letter. “Don’t Move,” Sirius ordered again just as, the moment he hit the table, Kreacher made to reach for the locket again. “And when you do move, don’t pick up the locket!”

Kreacher whined and snapped at Sirius. “So says dis-honored master who disobey’s honored Master Regulus _dying_ orders.” The elf wiped his dripping nose on his grimy wrist and then that on his even grimier loin cloth. “Kreacher heard you, you want to _save_ the locket.”

“Yes, we do,” Sirius said plainly, “But we’re still going to destroy the – argh!” Sirius rubbed his forehead. “How many times do I have to say this to get it through your thick head, Kreacher?”

“Master _must_ destroy the locket,” Kreacher repeated. “Or master doesn’t care about Master Regulus.”

“Of course I _fucking_ care, Kreacher!” Sirius snapped. “I am still destroying the horcrux – that is what Regulus wanted destroyed. He didn’t give a rats arse about the locket it was in.”

“The locket is important to destroying Voldemort, Kreacher,” Dumbledore said more gently. “We will absolutely carry out the destruction of the horcrux that Regulus sacrificed his life for, I can promise you we are discussing it presently.” He smiled genuinely at the elf, whose arms were stretching towards the locket, fingers curling, as if he would absolutely take it were it not for the direct order from Sirius. “But there is another person trapped inside that locket, a good person, who may help us destroy Voldemort, something Regulus ultimately wanted much more.”

“Half-blood with the funny hat says as dis-honorable master says,” Kreacher glared, crossing his arms. “Kreacher is sorry for misunderstanding, mudbloods and master did not explain well.”

“Watch it,” Sirius snapped. “Oh, what am I saying? Kreacher, just –”

“Wait,” Setsuna raised her hand. “He will still attempt to destroy the locket himself,” she said. “Potentially endangering it in the process.”

“Oh for the love of Merlin, Kreacher,” Sirius slapped his hand over his face. “Right. Listen to me.” He waved his finger at Kreacher. “Under _no_ circumstances are you to touch, or levitate, _or_ vanish that locket.”

Kreacher gaped at him, whining and tugging on his ears. “But!”

“And... and no stabbing, cursing, or... or throwing heavy objects at it either,” Sirius added as an after thought. “Actually, you’re not to be in the same room as it. Ever. Am I clear.”

“P-perfectly clear,” Kreacher seethed, glaring down his nose at Sirius even as he grinned in a way that might have been an attempt at a pleasant expression. It was incredibly disturbing. Mina thought he resembled a person mid-transformation into some grotesque daimon. “Kreacher will do as m-master wishes.” And with that the elf stood and vanished with a crack, no longer able to be in the kitchen as the horcrux he was forbidden from going near sat on the table.

Sirius looked pleadingly at Setsuna.“Please tell me that’ll do.”

Setsuna looked off to the left, raised one eyebrow, and nodded. “At present he has no viable plan for disturbing it.”

“Good,” Sirius sighed. “In that case...”

Their meeting resumed then, diving back into the grim work of discerning how to separate a horcrux from a whole soul, a conversation, the senshi noticed, that Dumbledore seemed quite withdrawn from.

“He doesn’t think there’s a way to do it,” Setsuna explained to Michiru, Haruka, and Mina afterwards. “Which I suppose is fair – this is slightly without precedent.”

“Slightly?” Haruka raised her eyebrows. “So there’s another soul walking around with a Dark Lord cling-on?”

Setsuna held a finger to her lips. “Slightly as in I have a theory... which I suspect Dumbledore has as well, and which is best left for another time... as it involves certain people who’d do better to uncover this at a... later date.”

Haruka and Michiru traded the same, bemused look. “We’ll ask you next time we’re at Hogwarts then,” Michiru said. “If I get your meaning correctly.”

Setsuna nodded. There were even now, too overly curious Gryffindors hiding on the landing under and invisibility cloak. “That’ll be Christmas Eve, since you’ll be visiting.” Setsuna smirked as Haruka cursed. “Unless you were expecting that to surprise me.”

“Could you at least pretend you don’t know these things?” Haruka complained.

“Yes, we _will_ be visiting,” Michiru told Setsuna. “And you are not to be working on anything no matter how arbitrary you think the day is.” She looked at Mina. “Do make sure she finds a balance between war and festiveness.”

Mina grinned and saluted. “Count on it!”

Mina and Setsuna departed via the time doors shortly afterwards, emerging into the hallway outside Setsuna’s Hogwarts chambers.

“Now,” Setsuna said to Mina, raising an eyebrow at her. “Why do I get the feeling you’ve been up to something.”

“I have not,” Mina said, putting a hand over her heart. “I am completely shenanigans-free...” she winked. “Unless of course you looked at my timeline between breakfast and now.”

Setsuna raised her eyebrows. And Mina chuckled, and turned sharply towards the portrait that concealed Setsuna’s rooms. “ _Chronos_ ,” she told it.

The portrait nodded solemnly and swung aside. The door behind it was slightly ajar.

Setsuna glanced between the door and Mina and stepped forwards, throwing the mahogany door wide open.

 _“MERRY CHRISTMAS!”_ Eight voices startled Setsuna as her friends jumped up from behind her couches and twin explosions of sparkling confetti went off over her head, covering her in tinsle and glitter. Chibiusa and Hotaru jumped over the sofas and ran to her, hanging on her arms.

“What?” Setsuna asked, staring around as the lights around the room turned up, revealing multicolored garlands bordering her ceiling and decorating the arcs of the windows. There was holly and tinsle hanging from the lamps, and even a tree, evidently dragged in off the grounds if the pine needles and dirt on the carpet were any judge. It was standing opposite her fireplace and had been covered in glass and metal bulbs, paper chains, and strings of popcorn of all things.

“The popcorn was Susan’s idea,” said Makoto, holding up a pan of the stuff that they’d clearly been eating while they waited. “Only gave us a little trouble.”

“Stringing them with magic wasn’t working!” Sora exclaimed, running up to her. “So we strung them all by hand – see!” she held up her left hand, which had three bandages taped around her fingers. “I only stabbed myself five times.”

“And whenever did you orchestrate this plan?” Setsuna asked, for she had not seen any indication of it on any of her recent future observations.

“Mama and Haruka-papa gave us the idea this morning,” Hotaru explained.

“They did, did they?” Setsuna asked. And everyone in the room nodded. Ah, she remembered now. When they’d been preparing to escort the students to the train and she’d mentioned how the two week holiday gave her plenty of time for research.

_“Promise you won’t spent the whole Holiday working,” Michiru insisted._

_“Why not?” Setsuna wondered. “A holiday’s just as likely as any other day to be targetted by dark forces, more so in many instances.”_

_“Yeah, but it’s a holiday.” Haruka shook her head. “They’re important,”_

_“They’re just days,” Setsuna frowned, looking between the two of them. “Arbitrary mortal festivals don’t make them special to me.”_

It seemed that Haruka and Michiru had set out to prove otherwise, Setsuna thought as she surveyed the brightly decorated room. And had enlisted other masters of persuasion into the effort.

“We weren’t going to let you ignore holidays just because you feel too busy,” Usagi told her. “The whole _point_ is to do something fun to feel happier.”

“Yeah – come on!” Chibiusa said, tugging on her hand. “Flora lent me her exploding snap cards! You should play.”

“We need you to beat Megumi!” Sora said. “She keeps winning.”

And Setsuna looked over at the other two first years: Megumi still lingering slightly behind one of the couches, and Akira with her, one hand on the tall Ravenclaw’s shoulder.

“I tried to lose last time,” Megumi said. “It was only luck.” She tugged on her sleeve. “It’s just a silly card game, I don’t have to play.”

“Yes, you do,” Akira countered, clapping Megumi on the shoulder. “ _You_ need to have fun.” And then Akira pointed at Setsuna. “And so do you.”

Setsuna sighed along with Megumi, and the two spoke at the same time: “There’s no time for having...” Megumi stopped as she realized and Setsuna’s own voice trailed off slowly. The time traveler blushed and ducked her head. Setsuna stared.

For a moment, the whole room looked back and forth between the two of them. And then Chibiusa put her hand over her mouth and giggled, prompting laughter to bubble out of everyone gathered in Setsuna’s sitting room. Even from Hotaru, who had still yet to warm up to the girl that was evidently Setsuna’s replacement.

“Yes, there is time,” Usagi countered once she’d got control of her giggles. “Because _you_ have help.” She crossed her arms as she looked between the four first years and her friends. “What stuff do you have to do so badly?”

“Patrol the halls as usual,” Setsuna said. “And I need to monitor the Room of Requirement, Mr. Malfoy’s been set a task I’m trying to monitor to be sure he hasn’t jumped ahead of its scheduled completion.”

“Rei and I can do that,” Mina volunteered. “Stare at a door and sneak around some hallways, no problem.”

“And I can do it tomorrow!” Makoto said. “Gotta keep Susan from tailing Slytherins on her own anyways.”

“I can go too!” Akira volunteered. “Tomorrow though, not now,” she said, looking pleadingly at Mina and Rei. “I wanna play cards.”

“Leaving us to our own devices,” Mina gasped, putting her hand over her heart. “Traitor!”

“Don’t listen to the drama queen,” Rei said, eying Mina slyly. “We can have fun on our own.”

“We all want to take turns patrolling for you,” Ami said to Setsuna. “We could help every night especially since none of us has much homework over the break.”

“Let us help you with your work,” Usagi said to Setsuna in a warm tone. It sounded like a polite request, but was unmistakably an order. Usagi was getting more confident about giving them, Setsuna observed as she looked to the Queen, then to Chibiusa and Hotaru hanging off her arms, and then to the other first years eager expressions, and finally to Mina and Rei half way out the door, fully ready to cover her patrol.

Setsuna sighed. “Alright,” she said, shaking her head when the collective cheer erupted from her friends and family gathered in her sitting room. “ _One_ game of cards.”

_~SMH~_

Christmas Eve morning, Harry Potter was startled awake by a trumpet in his ear, belting out a vaguely Christmas-y jingle. It caused Harry to bolt up in bed, making the same squawking noise that Hedwig did at the exact same time. He reached over to swipe his wand and glasses off the bedside table, caught his wand, and fumbled his glasses, knocking them onto the floor. Harry (still waking up and not quite realizing he should not lean over to chase them) tumbled out of bed.

Hedwig’s indignant squawking nearly drowned out the trumpet noise above him. Harry hauled himself upright and finally managed to get his glasses on his nose. He glared upwards.

The trumpet, floating over his head, tooted triumphantly.

Harry resisted the urge to _diffindo_ it by reminding himself that he could still be expelled for underage magic whether he was in a muggle household or not. “What the hell?” he muttered instead, looking over to check on Hedwig. Her chest was puffed out and she glared at the trumpet, but she otherwise seemed fine.

“ _Knock, Knock!”_ Fred and George’s voices echoed through Harry’s door. He swore back at them.

“Oh Potty-mouth-Potter,” one of the twins laughed.

“There is something _wrong_ with you,” Harry grumbled, realizing he’d put his glasses on upside down. He set about righting them.

“True enough,” the twins agreed.

“Be out in five minutes.”

“We need your help,” they chorused.

“With what?” Harry asked.

“You’re going to like it.” He heard them disapparate with twin _pops._ The trumpet vanished.

Harry sighed, grudgingly admitting he liked pretty much everything the twins thought up, even if they thought of it on Christmas Eve at – Harry checked the clock on side table and groaned – eight in the morning. He went over to comfort Hedwig and feed her breakfast, then searched around for his pants.

When Harry got downstairs, he felt a bit less disgruntled upon seeing Ron and Ginny there: Ron with his hair still a mess as though Fred and George had dragged him out of bed too, and Ginny looking a bit more put together, polishing Gryffindor’s sword. Ron waved at him mid-yawn, Ginny glanced up and smiled a little, moving over to make room for Harry on the couch.

“What’re they up to?” Harry asked.

“Dunno,” Ron grunted. “All they bloody said was –”

He was cut off by a flurry of chirps and a furious flapping of wings erupting from somewhere on the upper floors, shortly followed by Fred and George’s panicked shouts. The three Gryffindors stood from the couch as twin sets of feet thudded down the stairs, the chirping and flapping chasing their steps.

Moments later, Fred and George burst into the sitting room pursued by a swarm of bright yellow, murderous looking canaries. The twins ran behind Harry, Ron, and Ginny to the couch, diving under the cushions to hide from the barrage.

“We should have considered this,” Fred hollered as the birds tried to peck them, completely ignoring Ron, Ginny, and Harry.

“Indeed,” George groaned. “ _Hermione!_ ”

Harry, Ron, and Ginny looked up as the bushy-haired sixth year appeared in the doorway, hands on her hips and still wearing her pink, button-up pyjamas.

“Well,” Hermione demanded.

“ _Sorry!”_ the twins chorused.

Hermione rolled her eyes and whipped her wand out of her sleeve. She waved it once and, with a silent _Finite Incantatem_ , the canaries vanished.

“A simple knock will suffice next time,” Hermione told the twins as they hesitantly removed themselves from their hiding place beneath the couch cushions. They both turned and saluted her.

“So what’s this about?” Ron wondered.

The twins looked at each other and waved their wands in tandem, pointing them at the coffee table. A heaping mess of multi-coloured yarn appeared. And, Harry raised his eyebrows, _knitting needles._

“We need your help,” the twins chorused.

“We want to make our own gifts this year.”

“Just for siblings and all.”

“And friends.”

“Except…” Fred said. And he gestured to a haphazardly knitted bit of blue yarn, which, in the process of being knitted, had become mangled enough to look like a hairball.

“We can’t seem to get the instructions right,” George told them, conjuring a book and shoving it at Hermione.

“I don’t know how to knit,” Hermione sputtered.

“Yes, but you are better at books,” Fred said. “And we’re on a serious time crunch. It’s all hands on deck. We need to make ten hats.”

George coughed into his hand “ _Mum,”_ he reminded Fred.

And Fred pouted. “ _Fine._ Eleven hats.”

“Are these to go with the sweaters?” Ron asked. And Fred and George exchanged looks.

“No,” they said firmly.

“These’ll be better than sweaters,” Fred said. “Because hats are for everyone.”

Harry looked between Ginny and Ron. Ron looked confused. And so did Ginny for a moment before her eyes widened.

“Mum’s not making one for Morgana, is she?” Ginny realized.

Fred crossed his arms and nodded. “Figured it out yesterday while she was wrapping them.”

“Don’t think there’s one for Fleur either.” George looked between all of them. “So… please tell me one of you knows how to work these,” he gestured to the knitting needles.

Ginny smirked. “Sorry, I went and hid in the garden whenever she started talking about teaching me.”

“I’ve only ever untangled the yarn,” Ron added.

Harry too did not know how exactly one went about turning yarn into clothing. He’d only ever been allowed to put away the yarn and needles once Marge or Aunt Petunia had gotten bored of them.

“It seems straight-forwards,” Hermione said, beckoning for the needles. “If it’s just a hat.”

“Yes,” Fred and George chorused, moving to the back of the armchair Hermione had plopped into and watching as she tried to match the diagrams in the book to the needles and green thread in her hands.

“If we finish we’ll make two for you and Harry as well,” George piped up.

“Well let me figure out _one_ first,” Hermione nagged, squinting at the needles.

They were still at it at noon, when Kreacher came in with sandwiches that he dropped with a loud _clang_ onto the coffee table. He caused half the sandwiches to roll onto the floor and startled Harry into dropping a stitch. Harry was used to the elf disappearing without a word, but today Kreacher made a point of glaring at each of them before proceeded to skulk away towards the edges of the room, muttering loudly about being ordered to serve mudbloods and blood-traitors.

“What’s his problem?” Ron muttered, biting his tongue as he worked on finishing off his second hat. He was having much more success than the rest of them, Harry thought, looking at the half-made, fraying mess he was attempting to knit.

“He’s been like this since we got here,” Hermione said, glancing sympathetically over at the elf who was shuffling around near the fireplace. “Apparently, poor Kreacher doesn’t like that they can’t destroy the horcrux.”

“Zoisite you mean,” Ginny corrected. “Are they… have they thought of _anything_?”

“Dunno,” Harry shrugged. “Guessing not.” He watched the elf as he cleaned the ash out of the fireplace, one of several chores Sirius seemed to have given him to keep him busy during the day, apparently thinking Kreacher could not be trusted when left to his own devices. The elf was doing a spectacularly horrendous job: dumping nearly as much ash onto the carpet as he was vanishing. He even managed, as he was re-organizing the fire-pokers, to knock the floo powder onto the floor.

“Tonks was over the other day,” Ron said, lowering his voice. “Heard they caught Kreacher spying at the last order meeting. And he nearly nabbed the thing when they found him.”

“It’s sad,” Hermione sighed, watching Kreacher until he abruptly disapparated, and then frowning at the half-knitted green hat in her hands. “They’ve tried explaining to him at least three times now. Maybe if Sirius just put a little more effort into it…”

“Sirius is making plenty of an effort,” Harry muttered in his Godfather’s defence.

As Hermione tried to pose a counter argument, they heard footsteps out in the hallway. The door swung open.

“Harry’s got the right of it,” Haruka announced as she strode into the room, wearing (all of them raised their eyebrows) red pants and trousers with white fur cuffs. She was carrying a white sac – stuffed with boxes – over her shoulder.

“It’s really on Kreacher whether he wants to listen,” Michiru agreed as she followed Haruka into the room. Her coat and dress (white with red accents) were a festive contrast to Haruka’s. “How are these coming?” she asked, walking behind the couch Fred and George were sitting on to see how they were faring.

Fred shrugged, a glum pout on his face as he gestured to the amorphous blue mess that had been his first hat, and the rows upon rows of dropped and added stitches that was shaping up to be his second. “At least I’ll never wonder if I missed my calling,” he tried to joke. “I should just buy her one.”

“Hmm,” Michiru shook her head. “The perfect gift is one that comes from the heart, it won’t matter what it looks like.” She waved her hand towards Fred’s first hat. “Give her that one.”

“And save some dessert for us,” Haruka said, walking to the fireplace and vanishing the mess Kreacher’d left. She leaned over, scooped up the open jar of floo powder he’d left on the floor, and set it back on the mantle. She took a handful. “We’ll be back late tomorrow.”

“Is there a mission,” Ginny asked, eagerly dumping her knitting work on the couch and reaching for her sword.

Michiru giggled as she and Haruka shook their heads. “Not today.” She waved her wand to light a fire in the hearth and took Haruka’s hand. “We have somewhere else to be.”

 _~SMH_ ~

Setsuna woke early on the 24th in order to watch the Time Dimension (knowing it’d be her only chance all day if Haruka and Michiru had anything to say about it). She made her sixty-fourth attempt in as many days to determine how many others besides Bellatrix Lestrange had taken the potion that prevented her from seeing changes to their timelines. But she came up, once more, with no clear list of candidates. Next, she tried to uncover how soon they might find a solution to awakening Zoisite without awakening the horcrux. No one was on a successful path at present, but perhaps, the Time Dimension thought, they might get there by February and at most by June. It was comforting to see that the swirls of sand that denoted Zoisite’s awakening grew stronger as the end of the school year approached… even if the swirls could not, yet, resolve into concrete events.

Finally, Setsuna tried to see what had happened December 10th: when she’d gone out on patrol and awoken in her office with no memory of returning. Once more, she had no luck with that. Having failed three times, she was battling an absolutely sour mood by the time she conceded defeat for the day and let the Time Doors open up onto the seventh floor corridor. She paused by the Room of Requirement. It was currently presenting itself as a wide set of warm, polished, oak doors. She could hear music filtering out from inside. Good: the impromptu Christmas party the Hufflepuffs had planned was going ahead then, meaning today was one-less day Draco Malfoy could use the Room of Requirement for his own project. She itched to uncover what phrase to use to open that particular room – if only to see if Draco was farther along with repairing the vanishing cabinet than he ought to be. Then she could confirm, for certain, that he had taken Lestrange’s potion.

Her thoughts were interrupted abruptly, by a delighted and all too cheerful call of her name. She turned round.

Slughorn was making his way down the corridor. He waved at her, grinning. “Fancy finding you up here,” he said.

Setsuna frowned. “Were you going to attend the Hufflepuffs’ party?”

“Oh is _that_ in here,” Slughorn asked, and then did a double take, frowning at the Room of Requirement. “Age must be getting to me, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a door there before.”

“It appears from time to time,” Setsuna smiled.

“Hmm, another one of those only the students can get into,” Slughorn chuckled and shook his head. “A couple of those around – none as obvious as these doors mind. Why the two in the dungeons only look like notches in the stones – perfect for meeting after hours,” Slughorn declared. “Except there’s always the risk your head of house was waiting outside.”

“There are rooms only the students can enter?” Setsuna asked.

“Oh? Oh yes, at least seven,” Slughorn said, “Though they might have been done away with since my days.”

 _Or not done away with,_ Setsuna frowned. _They’d be convenient meeting places for students coordinating with the Death Eaters._ Perhaps Malfoy and others like him met there, recruited there, unable to be heard by adults or, it would appear, seen through time.

Perhaps she had passed one such room on the 10th, on her ill-fated patrol. Perhaps whichever student had taken Lestrange’s potion, Malfoy or otherwise, had been hiding in one.

“You look very concerned about something?” Slughorn mused, “Don’t tell me the war’s got you tied up in knots on _Christmas._ Why: the papers have been positively quiet for weeks now.” He even chortled. “I’m sure you all have the hot-heads in retreat.”

“The Death Eaters are only lying low,” Setsuna told him. “The creature attacks have continued on non-magical and business targets.”

“Well…” Slughorn cleared his throat. “It still stands that fewer Death Eaters about makes for a very positive day in these days.” He looked at her. “And yet you’ve been much busier, I’ve noticed. It hasn’t got anything to do with your,” he lowered his voice, “ _divination_ work, has it.”

Setsuna looked over at him with her eyebrow raised. “Everything’s got to do with the future, Professor Slughorn,” she said. “It’s been very muddled and dark of late.”

Slughorn sighed. “Alas, tis a subject I’ve never had particular talents for, otherwise I’d offer my advice.” He had lengthened his stride to keep up with her as they approached the stairs, which remained, thankfully, still. “So you have seen something that’s concerning then?” he asked. “Don’t tell me this war is set to last a decade like the last one?”

“No…” Not in any timeline would the conflict last that long. _None that I can see at any rate_ , Setsuna thought as her shoulders sagged. “No it’s a bit more complicated than that.”

“Well, don’t despair, perhaps it could be uncomplicated,” Slughorn said brightly. “The faculty at Hogwarts has always been the best in the world, save Uagadou’s wand-less department…”

Setsuna shook her head. “I’ve already spoken with Minerva and Severus. They’ve been unable to help.”

“ _Oh!”_ Slughorn snapped his fingers, stopping midway to the fifth floor with a jovial look she couldn’t fathom. She’d just said time was dark and murky; it was no time for frivolity. “You’ve a problem to do with Transfiguration or Potions then?” Slughorn crowed. “I may only teach the latter but,”

Setsuna shook her head again. “Forgive me,” she hesitated, it isn’t a problem I wish to speak of lightly,” certainly not here in the halls, with so many students staying for the holidays and free to roam them.

“Oh… _Oh I see,”_ Slughorn nodded sagely. “I’ve been there – always frustrating having a problem you can’t riddle out. Nevermind, let’s speak of other things, you’d probably appreciate the distraction.”

“That might be nice,” Setsuna said, though truly what she’d _appreciate_ were answers. What was it with mortals constant insistence that the asnwers to problems were to ignore them?

“Well in that case there is one thing I’ve been wondering,” Slughorn carried on cheerfully. “My seventh years, the ones in your Muggle Studies class, they were absolutely _raving_ about the assignment you set them over Christmas. I have to tell you – even the project I give my Alchemy students each spring has _never_ garnered that level of enthusiasm. I don’t know what your secret is that makes them so excited to live like _muggles_ while they’re meant to be on _vacation_.”

She made a face. “I really don’t see what’s so different,” she said. “In fact the point of the assignment is to show them how similar muggles are.”

“Oh for sure!” Slughorn rushed to say. “I just meant, you know teenagers I’d imagine would make such a big deal about it. But anyways, I was more wondering: how do you manage to give them the whole vacation time. Now, there’s where I am stumped. I gather there’s some time travel involved.”

Her lips twitched as she tried to mask her smirk. “There may be some,” she conceded. “Though no more so than is reasonable.”

“Well how are they going about it this year,” Slughorn asked. “Given the whole stock of time turners was destroyed – it’s those doors of yours surely.”

Setsuna tried not to sigh. The rest of the staff would happily accept any half-answer she thought up. Slughorn on the other hand would endeavour to understand. _I normally appreciate his intellectualism._ “They are very similar to a time turner,” she hedged, thankful she’d put plenty of study into how time turners worked, for she could give him reasonable fabrications.

“Did you craft them yourself,” Slughorn pressed. “That’s marvellous if you have – I’ve heard the rune work alone on a time turner can take years to do right…”

It took her the better part of the trek between the fifth and third floors to flub enough answers to satisfy his curiosity. It took such a long time because Slughorn punctuated each part of her explanation with new questions, all of which left her aware of just how little she knew of Wix magic. She managed, and had hoped when they reached the second floor he might turn in the direction of his own rooms, or towards the stairs to the potions dungeons. But he followed her towards the Entrance hall instead. _I wonder where he’s meant to be going?_ Setsuna thought. _His office is on the other side of the castle._

At least it was a question that would distract him from his time-travel queries.

“Oh – oh goodness I actually should turn round,” he realized as they passed her rooms, approaching the main stairs. “There’s an RSVP I’ve got to send. Christmas Party tonight, quite a few ministry friends who want me to attend.” He lifted a letter, an invite she presumed, from his pocket. “Actually,” he said, reviewing it. “It says I can bring guests. It’ll hardly be a wild crowd. Perhaps you’d like to come along.”

Setsuna frowned. “A… party?” Mentally, she added another bit of evidence to the growing pile of experiences that lent credence to Hotaru’s theory that Slughorn’s feelings for her extended beyond academic camaraderie.

“Won’t last long,” Slughorn carried on. “You’d have plenty of time to sort out presents for Hotaru, or Megumi, or your students if you’re planning that sort of thing, and it would be an excellent networking opportunity – these are the same people who’ve been passing information along to me, might be valuable for you to hear their accounts from the Ministry first hand.”

Her lips twitched. Slughorn’s offer was quite a testament to how much she needed more information about Voldemort’s influence in the ministry. It proved tempting despite her aversion to parties _and_ the exhausting prospect of carrying on hours worth of conversation with the potions master. Slughorn was a man who was as rejuvenated by socializing as she was by quietude.

“That does sound interesting,” Setsuna told Slughorn as they neared the main stairs. Her eyes lit up as she spotted the two people on the landing: Haruka and Michiru leaning on the stair rail, dressed in perfectly coordinated holiday outfits. They were punctual as usual (and a very convenient excuse). “And I appreciate the offer.” She waved at Haruka and Michiru as they spotted her, both smiling as they pushed away from the railing. “But I have plans.”

“Oh!” Slughorn said. “Why this is… Miss. Tenou and Miss. Kaioh, I recall.”

“Nice to see you, Professor Slughorn,” Michiru said, ever gracious, moving forwards to shake his hand. As she stepped away, she linked arms with Setsuna.

“I should have realized you’d be spending time with your friends today,” Slughorn said. “My apologies – they’re welcome to come along tonight as well.”

“Come along to what?” Haruka asked, clapping Setsuna on the shoulder.

“Oh just a ministry party – I thought it’d be a _wonderful_ networking opportunity,” Slughorn said.

Setsuna saw him flexing the hand Michiru had shaken and had to school her features to hide her smirk. He prattled on, making a valiant effort to persuade her. “I’ve even heard the minister himself might make an appearance. Celestia Warbeck’s been booked, she’s a fabulous singer.”

“Hmm,” Michiru smirked. “Tempting as that sounds,” she looked at Setsuna and Haruka. “We’ve a previous engagement tonight, and we’re late for one right now.” She nodded to Slughorn. “If you’ll excuse us.” And she turned towards the stairs, tugging Setsuna along.

“Perhaps another time,” Setsuna offered upon seeing Slughorn’s crestfallen look. “I hope you have a good day.”

“Oh, I will,” he said, standing on the edge of the landing. Setsuna looked behind her as he kept talking. “And if you change your mind, be sure to find me at dinner.”

“Unlikely,” Haruka muttered and then turned back and offered him a wide smile. “Happy Christmas,” she called as they turned on the first floor landing and out of Slughorn’s sight.

Setsuna sighed when they reached the Entrance Hall and glanced between the two of them. “Thank you,” she said now that she was sure Slughorn would not hear. “I was worried I’d have to carry on that conversation all day.”

“He does seem to be overly gregarious,” Michiru mused. “And overly friendly.”

“He means well,” Setsuna assured them as they walked. “And he has very useful contacts.”

Haruka grunted, walking a bit ahead to hold the doors to the grounds open for them. “I don’t like him,” she announced. “He’s too interested in you.”

Setsuna smirked. “He’s harmless,” she assured them. “Though I am starting to agree with Hotaru’s assessment: he may perceive me as more than a colleague.”

Haruka snorted and let the castle doors swing closed behind them. “Perceive – that man clings to you like a leech.” Their shoes crunched in the snow at the foot of the stairs. The path down to the lake was still several inches deep thanks to the latest snowfall, compared to the foot and a half that covered the rest of the grounds. Setsuna squinted in the bright sunlight and grinned. She could already see ten figures gliding around on the lake – including one blond-haired Gryffindor wobbling close to the shore.

Haruka cursed. “I forgot the spell that makes skates.”

“Don’t worry,” Michiru assured her. “I’ve got it covered.”

Setsuna put her hand over her eyes as she squinted at the lake. She grinned as she spotted Hotaru: less than graceful as she skated across the ice in her purple cloak and hat with both her arms stretched out. Chibiusa was weaving back and forth in front of her, skating backwards and clearly showing off. _Perhaps she’s giving her pointers._

Whether she had sensed their approach or simply been looking towards the castle at the right moment, Hotaru spotted them first. She waved frantically, causing her to wobble even more on her skates. Chibiusa had to grab her arm to keep her up. Haruka waved back just as excitedly, breaking away from them to run towards the lake as Hotaru and several of the first years made their way towards the shore.

A thought occurred to Setsuna as the children approached. “ _Presents,”_ she whispered to Michiru. She’d forgotten to buy any…

Michiru laughed. “Also covered,” she said, moving her hand down to clasp Setsuna’s. “They’re under your tree.” She quickened her pace, pulling Setsuna along towards the lake. “Come on,” she insisted. “We’re going to have fun.” Ahead of them, Haruka had reached the lakeshore. Hotaru was speeding towards her, Chibiusa racing behind trying to remind her how to stop. Hotaru didn’t quite manage it. She barrelled into Haruka, who caught her and slipped, both of them tumbling into the snow.

It was not the only fall of the day, nor the most spectacular. Usagi managed to knock Haruka over herself one of the many times she tripped on her skates. Hotaru accidentally tripped Chibiusa several of the times her friend tried to help her. And while Akira Hino did not fall, she did spin into a snow bank while racing Haruka and Sora around the lake.

The most spectacular wipe out happened within an hour – when Usagi knocked over Rei, Ami, and Makoto. All four of them landed in a heap on the ice, Usagi stuck at the bottom of the pile. Setsuna, a safe distance away skating the perimeter of the lake with Michiru and Haruka, successfully stifled her laughter. So did Michiru and Haruka. Not Mina. She doubled over on the ice, erupting in peels of laughter along with boisterous little Sora, who joined her in circling the pile up of unfortunate sixth years.

“We may want to stay back,” Setsuna murmured. Across the ice, the future time guardian, Megumi, seemed to be whispering the same to Chibiusa. “Rei’s going to…”

“Retaliate,” Michiru guessed, watching the inner senshi.

A cherry wand pointed out from the middle of the pile up, and the hand holding it gave it a sharp wave. A large heap of snow rose off the island in the middle of the lake, racing over the ice and straight at Mina and Sora – who both turned tail and ran.

It hit the both of them, knocking them onto the ice with piles of snow heaped onto their hats and shoulders. The three outer senshi broke into laughter.

“Oh that started something,” Haruka said as Sora packed a hasty snowball together and lobbed it back across the ice. Mina followed her lead. Usagi ducked the first one. The second one hit Makoto, who gathered the snow off her shoulder, grinning.

“ _SNOWBALL FIGHT!_ ” she hollered, lobbing a smaller snowball back across the ice at Mina. Rei joined in with another spell, and Usagi after her, scrambling a snowball together from what was left on the ice.

“I’ll be back,” Haruka announced, dashing towards the shore. She vanished her skates as she ran into the snow, leaning down and scooping two snowballs together.

The whole crew on the ice was making their way towards the shore too, chasing Mina and Sora. Michiru laughed as Ami snuck away, gliding over to them rather than get caught up in the snow war.

By the time the orange hues of the sunset had covered the grounds, the snow war had amassed four snow forts, two transfigured snow men to lob projectiles, and the teams had changed at least four times by Setsuna’s count. The current arrangement pitted all four first years against Haruka and Hotaru, and Mina, Makoto, and Rei against Usagi, who outpaced them all. Her feet kicked up snow as she sprinted away from them around the lake.

Twilight was falling. It came too quickly and too early this far north in the winter. Setsuna countered it in the blink of an eye by waving her wand. Dozens of blue will-o-wisps appeared and flew to the edges of the lake, maintaining the light. She saw several other flames being conjured by the snowball fighters – including by Chibiusa; she’d learned to hold blue-bell flames in her palm.

“Oh they’ve got her now,” Ami announced, pointing towards the north side of the lake, where Rei, Makoto, and Mina had finally cornered Usagi, and were pelting her with snowballs. “That doesn’t seem fair.”

Setsuna hummed and pointed towards the sky. “Don’t worry,” she told Ami. “She’ll have an excuse to duck out any moment now.”

Ami and Michiru traded glances and looked where Setsuna pointed. Sure enough, a few minutes later, a small shadow appeared in the deep blue sky, soaring over the trees. It flew over the grounds, circling Usagi and catching all the scouts’ attention with its screeching cry and loudly flapping wings.

Usagi held her arms out as her assailants lowered their snowballs and the screech owl dove towards her, alighting on her shoulder. From the shore, Setsuna could see Usagi reaching for its leg, untying a letter from it.

“I wonder who that’s from,” Ami wondered. “Ginny or Hermione, maybe.”

“Certainly someone she likes very much,” Michiru murmured. She’d taken out her mirror, which was displaying Usagi’s face, a delighted grin on it as she looked at the rolled up parchment.

They watched in the mirror as Usagi unrolled her letter and saw her smile grow pensive the farther she scanned down the parchment. Michiru frowned as they watched Usagi speak briefly with their friends and stride away, towards the castle.

Michiru concentrated on the mirror. The image in it rippled. “The astronomy tower,” she announced, confirming Usagi’s destination. “Something she likes there?”

Setsuna nodded, chaos began again on the shore as Rei used Usagi’s departure to lob a new snowball at a distracted Mina. It started the snow war anew. Setsuna turned her attention back to Usagi, watching her progress across the grounds.

 _I’ll give her a little time to herself,_ Setsuna thought as she, Ami, and Michiru resumed their lap of the lake. The first years had gotten Hotaru and Haruka now, and had knocked down their snow fort and tackled them both into the snow. _Only a little._

She waited until the light had faded fully from the sky and then broke away from Michiru and Ami. “Excuse me,” she told Chibiusa and Hotaru as they returned to the ice, Hotaru holding Chibiusa’s hand as she tried to keep her balance. “Want to spend some time with Michiru-mama for a while?” Setsuna asked Hotaru. “I need to borrow Chibiusa.”

She led a curious Chibiusa around the boathouse to the docks, where the Astronomy tower was visible. She pointed Chibiusa towards it.

“Is that where Mama’s hiding?” Chibiusa asked.

Setsuna nodded, smiling at her. “She got a letter a little while ago,” Setsuna told Chibiusa. “Which has given her a lot to think about.”

“From who?” Chibiusa asked.

“I don’t know.” Setsuna smirked. “But I have a strong inkling it is from a boy.”

Chibiusa’s eyes lit up as she grinned. “Mamo-chan!”

“ _Perhaps,_ ” Setsuna stressed. “I am honestly unsure. Certainly,” she said. “They’re someone Usagi considers very important.” She waved towards the Astronomy tower. “As I said. She’s got a lot to think about. She may need your help.”

“With thinking,” Chibiusa giggled. “She always needs help thinking.” She turned around, skating backwards onto the shore. She kicked off her skates. “You can count on me, Puu!” she said, turning, red cloak flying behind her, as she began to run through the heavy snow.

Setsuna watched her until the light of the blue-bell flames in her palm was too far off to light any part the lake. At that point, another light drew her attention, dim and green, permeating up through the ice.

 _The Slytherin dorms_ , Setsuna realized as her gaze fell towards the light coming from beneath the ice. _From the windows…_ She waved her wand, clearing the frost off of the ice, leaving it as clear as glass.

The green-lit windows were clearer now, build into the stones of the castle walls. Setsuna jumped as someone with platinum blond hair passed in front of the window, moving towards a pack of Slytherins gathered in what, she presumed, was the common room. She skated back from the cleared ice, lest the Slytherin students see her, and sighed, skating until she hit the dock. She sank onto it, gazing at the green common room light, which was glaring up at her through the water.

So many of them had stayed for break: so many children of the Death Eaters, or of possible Death Eaters…

So many children who might be working for Voldemort themselves…

 _Or for Lestrange_. Setsuna shivered, the frozen dock chilling her through her heavy cloak.

 _Are they planning something now?_ Setsuna thought as she watched Malfoy’s blurred form throw up his hands as he talked with his friends. _Something I don’t have a hope of accounting for…_

She didn’t know how long she sat there before she heard the scrape of skates across the ice. “Hey!” Haruka exclaimed. “Thought you went off this way. Come on, Hotaru wants to have a contest to know who’s the better figure… skater…” Her voice trailed off as Setsuna glanced up at her, and Haruka frowned, moving to the docks and plopping down next to her. She put her arm around Setsuna and her frown only deepened when Setsuna leaned on her, head falling onto Haruka’s shoulder. “Alright?”

Setsuna shook her head, gaze flicking briefly to the Astronomy tower where the light of the blue bell flames was peaking out between the rose vines. Her gaze quickly fell back to the Slytherin windows.

“Is this about the 10th?” Haruka asked. “When you woke up in your office?”

Setsuna nodded.

“You know for sure it was Malfoy yet?” Haruka asked. Setsuna shook her head again. “Or how they broke in?”

“They used my key,” Setsuna whispered and sighed. “Which I keep on me, and I’m sure I must have let them in, given I woke up at my desk with it.”

Haruka stiffened.

“I wasn’t Imperioed,” Setsuna said. “Pomphrey’s fairly certain about it.”

“You still don’t remember walking back,” Haruka said. “Something happened.”

“It must have been the potion,” Setsuna whispered. “Whatever it is, perhaps I’ve underestimated the effect that it has.”

“How many people besides Lestrange have taken it?”

“At least two,” Setsuna said. “Whoever broke into my office for certain, so possibly Malfoy, and...”

“The Wizard in White,” Haruka finished, staring down the darkened eastern corridor. “He’s been quiet lately.”

“Has Michiru been able to see him in the mirror?” Setsuna asked.

Haruka made an affirmative sound. “A bit... she can see more of Lestrange and Voldemort, but whatever spell the Wizard used to erase records of himself seems to keep him from being easily spied on...” Haruka turned her head as she heard the light scrapping of another set of skates approaching. “Speaking of...”

Setsuna lifted her head as Michiru rounded the corner of the boathouse, mirror in hand. She stopped in front of them with a neat twirl and tucked the Aqua Mirror into her coat, adjusting her scarf as she sat down next to Setsuna. Michiru tucked herself close to her, lacing her hand with Setsuna’s.

“I still haven’t found anything on Lestrange’s potion,” Setsuna confided in them after a minute had passed. “And I don’t care if it’s a holiday, I can’t stop thinking about it.”

“Didn’t expect you to,” Haruka said. “But you’ve got to find time to enjoy yourself, the war’ll drive you mad otherwise.”

Setsuna sighed. Michiru squeezed her hand.

“We’ll figure it out.”

“Will we?” Setsuna breathed. “I can’t see... you can’t see much more.”

“We don’t need to see,” Michiru said. “We may have to wait,”

“And be more careful,” Haruka added, wrapping her arm tighter around Setsuna.

“But we _will_ figure it out, and we will win,” Michiru continued.

“Together,” Haruka added. “Promise.”

Setsuna chuckled. “You know I don’t believe in promises.”

“Maybe not, but you believe in us,” Michiru said. “Don’t you?”

Setsuna sighed. “I do,” she whispered. “Still,” she looked down at her lap. “There’s some things that are out of anyone’s control, even mine.” She closed her eyes. “I’m starting to think this may be one.” More than one. _The potion, the wizard, Lestrange..._

Setsuna felt Haruka’s warm, gloved hand under her chin, lifting her gaze to meet hers.

Haruka pressed her forehead to Setsuna’s. “What things can you control?” Haruka asked. “Think about those.”

Setsuna tried. “Most of the Death Eaters attacks,” Setsuna said. “Finding Voldemort’s horcruxes,”

“The prophecies,” Michiru added, squeezing Setsuna’s hand again.

The prophecies. Especially the new one, which should not exist, whose whole contents were lost to them. Setsuna looked away from Haruka, towards the Astronomy tower. It was dark now. For a moment, as goosebumps prickled on the back of her neck, it looked as though green lightning struck the top.

_As the sun sets on the Elder Stewart, the Chosen One becomes a pair..._

“Yes,” Setsuna affirmed. “I can control that too.”

~ _SMH_ ~

At the Astronomy tower, Chibiusa found Usagi under the rose vines, leaning on the tower wall as she stared at the letter she’d recieved.

“Who’s it from?” Chibiusa asked, standing on her tip-toes to see the letter in Usagi’s hands.

“A friend,” Usagi whispered, handing her the letter. Chibiusa took it. _Neville Longbottom_ it said across the top.

It was long. The penmenship as precise as Hermione’s ever was.

_Dear Usagi,_

_I hope you’re having a Happy Christmas at school – the elves will be happy to give you extra hot chocolate, by the way. Just drop by and ask them._

_I just, well I wanted to tell you about my Christmas, see. It’s shaping up to be the best one I’ve ever had and it hasn’t even started yet – and that’s all thanks to you. Cause it’s the first one I can remember that I haven’t spent in the Janus Thickley Ward. Gran’s cried three times just because she’s walked into the kitchen and seen Dad cooking breakfast!_

_And I know I thanked you already, and I know you healed a lot of other people too, but I just wanted to thank you again. Even with the war on... I’ve never seen Gran happier._

_Which... which isn’t why I got you the present though. I mean, I was thinking of it when I got your present, but I just want you to know I’d get you a present anyways. It’s probably fallen out by now. I had trouble taping it to this letter the first time I tried to write it. (And my sticking charm is not very good)..._

“Present?” Chibiusa asked, looking up from the letter. Usagi nodded, and Chibiusa noticed she had something in her left hand. Chibiusa held up her blue-bell flames so she could see it.

“Wooah...” Chibiusa breathed.

“It’s pretty isn’t it,” Usagi smiled, letting the necklace dangle off her hand, the blue flame made the tiny silver chain shine and winked off the pink, heart-shaped jewel that hung on the end.

“Do you like it?” Chibiusa asked.

“Love it,” Usagi whispered. “He’s really thoughtful...” She held the necklace up so she could watch the pink jewel swing. Her gaze turned pensive. “He’s a friend.”

“A really _good_ friend,” Chibiusa grinned and gasped. “Are you going to date him?”

Usagi took a minute to respond. When she did, it was not how Chibiusa’d expected.

“Colin and Anthony are fun,” Usagi confessed. “But Neville’s...”

Chibiusa waited, watching Usagi’s pensive frown as it, for a moment, turned up in a smile.

“Neville’s kind,” Usagi continued. “And earnest, and he loves helping people.” She gathered the necklace in her right hand, staring at it. “And he’s shy...” She stared at the Christmas gift. “Colin and Anthony asked me out,” she told Chibiusa. “I don’t think Neville would.”

“So... Why can’t you...?” Chibiusa asked and crossed her arms. “Come on – have some initiative!”

“It’s not that,” Usagi whispered. And Chibiusa was startled to see a tear roll down her face. “I like Neville,” Usagi said. “I don’t know if he can be Mamo-chan, but I _really_ like him...”

Chibiusa doused the blue bell flames and walked the two steps to Usagi, hugging her around the waist. “I thought you _wanted_ to like people.”

“I did too,” Usagi sniffed. “But then I actually _did_.” She let out a watery chuckle. “He’s my friend... What if I _like_ him and he’s not Mamo-chan... and that would hurt him if that were true.”

Chibiusa looked up at her as she scrubbed more tears off her face. “Maybe,” Chibiusa whispered. “But also... how are you gonna know unless you take a chance.”

Usagi thought about it and considered the necklace again. “I know but,”

“No, no buts.” Chibiusa insisted, stepping back and putting her hands on her hips. “Are you a Gryffindor or aren’t you?”

Usagi sighed, a smile was peaking up on her face. “Who made it your job to play Cupid?” she teased.

“So you’ll think about it?” Chibiusa pressed.

Usagi shook her head, looking at the necklace again. Chibiusa’s face split into a grin as Usagi fiddled with the clasp, and wrapped the necklace around her neck, smiling at the pink jewel before hiding it under her robes.

“Fine, I’ll think about it,” Usagi said and stretched her hand out. “Can I have my letter back?”

“No!” Chibiusa protested, pressing it to her heart. “I’m not done reading it.” And she started from the top, smirking wickedly at Usagi before beginning to read “ _Dear Usagi,”_ she declared in a dramatic voice, punctuated by a sigh. “ _I hope you’re having a Happy Christmasssss,”_ she ducked away as Usagi tried to snatch the letter.

“People are gonna hear you!” Usagi whined, chasing her out from under the rose vines as Chibiusa ran off, giggling and calling out lines from the letter whenever she could catch her breath.

Usagi chased her all the way back to the castle, catching her with Makoto and Mina’s help as they barred Chibiusa from opening the Entrance Hall doors. She was red faced and trimunphant as she caught the grinning, pink haired brat and snatched her letter back, tucking it safely into her cloak.

“What was that?” Mina laughed, letting Chibiusa through the doors to the castle.

“Nothing except a little twerp trying to steal my mail,” Usagi said, glaring at Chibiusa, who was giving her a cheeky grin. Usagi shook her head and sought out Ami, who was laughing with Rei just inside the doors. “Do you have a pen and paper?” she asked her. Chibiusa let out an ecstatic cheer. “I need to write a reply.”

~ _SMH_ ~

 _Pop! Pop! Pop!_ Miniature bursts of sparks and confetti exploded all along the dining room table as the entire stock of Grimmauld Place’s Christmas crackers was pulled simultaneously by all the Order members gathered for the Christmas day party. Harry darted forwards to catch the hat from he and Hermione’s – a bright yellow top hat – before it could plummet into the remains of the mashed potatoes. He looked over at Ron, who’d wound up with a pink beret that Ginny didn’t want, and then across the table at Sirius, who’d got the sort of plastic silver crown Harry was used to seeing in fancy dress parties on the television. It was a garish thing: covered in pink tufts of fake fur and false, plastic diamonds. His Godfather had gamely stuck the ornament on his head, where it stuck out brightly against his wavy black hair. It had come with a toy wand of the same pink and sparkling design. And Harry snickered as Sirius banged it like a gavel on the dinner table.

“All right! Listen up, yah glutinous merry-makers!” Sirius hollered. He took out his real wand as the packed dining room quieted and vanished the remains of Christmas dinner from the table. He then waved his wand second time.

All the presents that had been sitting under the tree in the drawing room all day appeared, in an uneven, swaying pyramid in the centre of the table; the stack nearly brushing the ceiling.

“It is PRESENT TIME!” Sirius bellowed.

The stack looked much more impressive than it had hidden under their tree’s massive branches. Harry’s eyebrows shot up as he saw his name on at least three of the packages, or maybe four, five… it was hard to tell. He craned his neck to see the names on the ones higher up.

“How the hell’d you two wait all day?” Ron asked, leaning around Hermione to look at Harry. “Gin and I barely made it through breakfast.”

“He did not last till the end of breakfast,” Ginny whispered to Harry, snickering. “He took his plate into the living room so Mum would let us unwrap them early.”

“Oi! Harry!” Harry looked up as George called his name, just in time to catch the squishy package that was tossed at his head. Harry had a guess it was a Weasley sweater. “First one’s for you – From Mum, and this one from me an’ Fred.” George tossed a second package at Harry, smaller and just as squishy, which certainly contained one of the hats they’d spent all of yesterday knitting. Harry’s fingers ached just thinking about it.

He unwrapped both. The sweater was green as usual, this year with a gold lion stitched onto the front, and the hat from Fred and George was green to match. And better. Harry grinned as he unwrapped the hat and dumped it out on the table. The twins had stuffed it full of Canary Creams.

“Next one’s for you, Hermione!” Sirius said, levitating a small box off the top of the pyramid and lobbing it down to her.

“Careful!” Ron squeaked, catching Hermione’s attention.

“This is from you?” she asked, smiling as she turned her attention to the package. Harry watched Ron on the other side of her, shifting from foot to foot. His ears were turning pink as Hermione carefully peeled the plain, brown paper off the box, which was black and velvet, a jewellery box about the size of Hermione’s palm. She frowned as she moved to pop it open and gasped, picking up what was nestled inside.

“A watch,” she whispered, staring at the gift. Harry raised his eyebrows. It looked new: a gleaming silvery band joined together with a watch that had a white face and purple numerals engraved inside. Hermione gaped at it and then turned to Ron. “You bought this for me?”

“Er… yeah,” Ron stammered, the pink spreading from his ears all the way across his face. “Sorry I didn’t have it in September – I had to raise the money, see. Spent a lot of time testing news stuff for Fred and George… Do – do you like it?” he asked. “I had Dad charm it, so you can set alarms on it and stuff, and look, see:” He tapped the watch face twice. The inside lit up – displaying a bright, full circle. “It’ll tell you what phase the moon’s in for potion brewing, you know…”

“You… bought me a watch,” Hermione repeated in the same stunned tone.

“Yeah. Well, cause everyone’s s’pose to get one when they come of age. It’s wizarding –”

Hermione cut him off, nearly knocking Ron out of his chair as she hugged him. Ron’s face was beet red, likely because all the Order members gathered at the table had started cheering and applauding. Mcgonagall was nodding as though she heartily approved.

“Thank you,” Hermione mumbled as she pulled back.

“Right,” George interjected. “If you two are done being all lovey-dovey, Ron needs to open his – you’re holding everyone up.”

Ron’s first present, like Harry’s, was a hat from Fred and George. Blue. It was a nicer color on him than his maroon sweater, Harry thought. Ron merrily put it on his head. George was already wearing a magenta one, Harry realized. He glanced at Mrs. Weasley. She had pursed her lips as she glanced between her two sons.

“Is she mad?” Harry asked Ginny while Fleur, sitting beside Ron, opened her own hat from the twins.

“I don’t think she’s put it together yet,” Ginny said. “Might have – she’s still stewing that Fred’s skipped out on Christmas.”

That must be why only George was here, Harry realized as he hesitantly put on his own hat.

“He wasn’t at home all day,” Ginny confided. “Said if Morgana wasn’t welcome, neither was he.”

Bill had just opened his own hat – black – and thanked George with an amused chuckle as he put it on his head. By now, it seemed, Molly’d got the gist of what the twins had done.

“Wait till she gets hers,” Ginny whispered. “I saw Fred put a card in it.”

When the gift giving did reach Mrs. Weasley though, she made no fuss about the purple hat or whatever card was inside it. She thanked George, and said it was very nice, before putting it on the table. Arthur, who’d already got his, slowly pulled his hat off his head while he watched Molly.

The Weasleys’ quiet drama though had little mind paid to it as the rest of the presents were passed out. There were far more interesting gifts given – especially from the Order’s Secret Santa. Most notable was Mundungus Fletcher’s present. His gift giver either had a spectacular sense of humour or was very practically minded, Harry thought. He snickered along with his friends – and many of the adults in the Order stifled chuckles – as Mundungus unwrapped a very large bottle of cologne. Harry suspected it was Mcgonagall given the self-satisfied smirk on her face.

There were other surprises. Arthur’s gift giver seemed to have panicked over what sort of muggle knickknacks to get him because they had stuffed half a store’s worth of them into a briefcase. All of it – from the slinky he tried to wear as a hat to the set of 3D glasses he marvelled over – delighted Arthur, and none more so than the last thing that popped out of the briefcase: a bright, red toaster.

There were several joke gifts that got even more laughs. Sirius got Remus a bottle of hair dye with a handwritten label: _For Counteracting Oldness._ Remus got Sirius a dog toy. The both of them got Harry a box overflowing with socks – some with snitches, some wool, many with flashing neon stripes that Dumbledore declared were “wonderful” (while Harry was beset by trying to wrestle the lid of the box shut). Maybe, Harry thought, he could persuade Dumbledore to take some, because this was surely enough socks to last him a few lifetimes.

They went around the table several times. Harry got books from Hermione and Hagrid, and candy from Ron, and new Quidditch gloves from Mcgonagall. Ginny and Hermione both got Fred and George’s hats, and the pyramid in the center of the table eventually dwindled down to three presents: one long blue box, a plain envelope, and a box as big as Harry… which happened to have his name on it. Remus pushed it across the table himself. Harry grinned, tearing off the green, sparkling wrapping paper and standing on his chair to open the top, pulling out, he frowned… a second, green-wrapped box?

“Oh, Merlin, Black,” Moody groaned. “This could take a while.”

It certainly did. The second box had another box in it, just a bit smaller, and that box housed another box, and another box. Sirius had started laughing at Harry’s expression by the time he got to the sixth one, small enough now that he could hold it in both arms. This one he set on the table and tore off only the wrapping paper on the top. He pried open the lid and reached inside, pulling out, he grinned, not another box but a rounded package, wrapped in unassuming brown paper.

“Let me guess,” Mcgonagall muttered as Harry peeled the paper off. “A circular box?”

“Nope,” Sirius chortled as Harry got the rest of the paper off the real present. His jaw dropped as he lifted it free of the wrapping.

It was a shiny black helmet. Harry’s eyes bugged out of his head as he stared at it, running his hand along the gold lightning bolt that had been painted on the side. The tinted visor and the padding inside confirmed that it was decidedly _not_ a bicycle helmet. Harry turned it all around. On the back, _H.J.P._ had been hand-painted, in Remus’ neat cursive, along the rim.

“Might want to look inside,” Sirius suggested. Harry scrambled to tip the helmet upside down.

Inside, taped to the padding on the top, was a piece of paper with Sirius’ block lettered hand-writing on it.

_IOU: Driving Lessons._

“I’m thinking summer,” Sirius mused. “Should have this war business done and dusted by then.”

“Don’t you have to be 18?” Hermione asked.

“Pssha,” Sirius scoffed. “Technicalities.”

“This is brilliant,” Harry said, grinning at the helmet. He couldn’t bear to let it go, and kept both hands on it as the second-to-last present – the envelope, was lifted off the center of the table by Remus.

Rigel Fawcett excused himself as the envelope was passed along, from member to member, all the way to Dumbledore at the head of the table, who – with a warm smile – passed it to the man on his left: a rail thin Garrick Ollivander.

“This is from all of us,” Dumbledore told him. “Though mostly from Ms. Delacour and Mr. Weasley over there.”

The whole table grinned as Ollivander opened the envelope, pulling out a letter. When he opened it, two keys tumbled out onto the table: one large, bronze skeleton key; and another small gold key, like any kind you could have made in a muggle shop.

“That one there’s to a Gringotts vault,” Bill said, pointing to the skeleton key. “We took up a collection so you can rebuild your shop. The small one…” and he dug into his own pocket and produced a matching key.

“Eets to our cottage,” Fleur said, smiling at Ollivander as she leaned closer to Bill. “Custom built and custom warded – We just finished eet and we have an additional room. So you can stay zere and we can help you while you recover. And,” she wrinkled her nose, “so you can recover some place more quiet zan ze center of ze war.”

“I would hate to intrude,” Ollivander began.

But Fleur brushed him off. “We want to aid you in any way we can.”

As Ollivander nodded and accepted the offer, the whole table erupted in cheers and applause. Mrs. Weasley’s smile seemed thinner than the rest.

“Does she dislike Ollivander?” Harry whispered to Ginny.

Ginny snorted. “Oh she loves him,” she assured Harry. “She’s just sour about Bill and Fleur living together before they’re married – but Fleur’s grown on her at least,” Ginny added. “Caught her telling Bill that at least she wasn’t a Slytherin.”

“She’s being a bloody arse about it,” Ron added. “Well it’s true!” he said when Hermione gasped. “I mean… yeah most Slytherins are rotten, but Morgana’s cool.”

“We’re trying to get Dad to stand up for her,” Ginny carried on, lowering her voice as the Order quieted down. The last present, the long blue box, was being levitated across the table. “He doesn’t want to of course, doesn’t like the drama. But Mum might listen to him.”

Harry wanted to reply, but the table had gone completely silent now, as the last present was set down in front of Hamish Stebbins. He took extra time, with only his one arm, to peel the blue paper away from the box. And Hamish frowned when he opened it. “It’s only a note,” he said, setting aside the lid of the box and taking the note out. He flipped it open. “It says… turn around.”

He did. So did the rest of the table. Harry leaned around Hermione and Ron to see…

Rigel Fawcett had snuck back in, and was standing in the doorway behind Hamish, with both his arms behind his back.

“Well I was gonna put it in the box,” Rigel said. “But Remus thought it might break the cardboard… and Michiru said this would be better anyways…” as he spoke he took his right arm out from behind him. The whole table gasped, murmurs rippling through the crowded room.

In Rigel’s hand was a black scabbard – with yellow and white gems lined up along the middle. Inside was something that had a matching black leather hilt with gold accents and pink gem on the pommel.

“Found a smith in Spain who could make them,” Rigel said as he held the scabbard, hilt out towards Hamish. “Haven’t tried yet – he said that’s unlucky.”

“This is _mine_?!” Hamish asked, his voice hoarse.

Rigel smiled and nodded. “Can you draw it now?” he asked. “It’s a bit heavy.”

Everyone clamoured to get closer as Hamish reached out and curled his hand around the hilt. He took a deep breath before drawing the blade.

The _shing_ of metal leaving the scabbard for the first time echoed around the silent dining room. Stebbins let out a shaky breath as he hefted the sword – nearly as black as its scabbard. Ginny whistled – eyes sparkling as she sized it up. It was nearly as long as Gryffindor’s, but narrower, designed to be wielded easily in a one-handed grip.

“And…and it does magic?” Hamish rasped.

“Should do,” Rigel said. “I took your advice, Mr. Ollivander.” He smiled at the old man. “Spodumene crystals. Man who made it was a little sceptical about putting them in the core, but he did it.” Rigel put his left hand over the top of the empty scabbard, gripping it tightly as he looked at Hamish. “Try it.”

Hamish gulped, turning to the table and staring up at the sword. The whole Order held their breath.

“ _Lumos.”_

Bright, warm light blazed forth from the blade – outshined even the candles along the walls – so much so that Harry and many others around the table had to shield their eyes.

“Woohoo!” Tonks hollered, starting off a raucous applause as Hamish doused the light in the sword and turned back to Rigel. He sheathed the blade and then bent down to give Rigel a kiss, prompting a new round of cheering.

“Is that the last one?” Sirius shouted over the din when it had gone on a full five minutes. “Right everyone pipe down – you can watch them snog later we’ve the best bit of Christmas to get to.” He grinned as he waved his wand. Plates, spoons, and many covered dishes appeared in place of the discarded boxes and wrapping paper. “Pudding time!”

“Mind if I steal some as takeaway?” Tonks asked, leaning over the table and snagging two small cakes.

Sirius gasped. “No – not working on Christmas! I have a bone to pick with Bones about that.”

Tonks rolled her eyes. “I had my shift this morning,” she said. “Nah – got plans.”

“What plans?” George asked, wagging his eyebrows. “ _Romantic_ plans.”

Tonks chuckled. “I wish – no,” she said, walking to the door. “Call it community service.” She waved to them all as she ducked out. “Happy Christmas.”

~ _SMH_ ~

From Grimmauld Place, Tonks apparated all the way across London, and across the Thames, to Greenwich and an unassuming street corner therein. Once there, she checked her watch (still plenty of time) and walked along the block, fingers skimming across the fence that bordered the park. In her torn jeans and black jacket she drew no notice. She walked the length of the park, eyes scanning all around, across the bushes and trees and into the tight alleys between the surrounding townhouses. Finding nothing and no one, Tonks turned round and walked back to the middle of the block – where there was bus stop just to the left of the park entrance. An old woman was sitting there, on a bench, a top a weathered sleeping bag, wrapped up in a blue shawl and three heavy blankets. She was holding an empty coffee mug. The woman waved at Tonks as the young Auror approached her.

“Wotcher, Mrs. Wilkins,” Tonks said, digging in her pocket. “How’re you?”

“Just duckie,” Mrs. Wilkins said. “Had a boy throw a snowball at me this afternoon – threw one right back.”

“Betcha knocked him on his arse,” Tonks said, pulling a wad of muggle money from her pocket. She tucked it into Mrs. Wilkins hand. “Here – stay some place nice for the holiday – and buy a proper Christmas dinner too.”

The woman gaped. “They pay you this much just to bribe an old bat like me?”

Tonks winked. “Well you’re a helluava cover.” She looked around. “Seen anyone suspicious today?”

“Couple men,” Mrs. Wilkins said. “And a girl. They all came stalking through the park this afternoon – smelled like _marijuana.”_ She said the last in a conspiratorial whisper. “They part of that gang you’re busting?”

“Just might be,” Tonks agreed. “I’ve just gotta keep tabs on ‘em.”

“Well you do good work,” the woman said, shrugging off her blankets as she stood up. “Now, _don’t_ mess up my bed,” she said, referring to the sleeping bag that had been carefully arranged on the narrow bench.

“You know I won’t,” Tonks told her, waving Mrs. Wilkins off. “Happy Christmas.”

“You too,” the old woman said. She shuffled away.

When she was gone round the corner, Tonks sat down on the sleeping bag and drew her wand. She turned her jeans into grey sweatpants like Mrs. Wilkins’ and her jacket into the woman’s battered, brown corduroy. She even conjured a blue shawl of her own and wrapped it, and the blankets, around herself. By the time she picked up Mrs. Wilkins empty coffee cup, her hands had taken on the veiny, wrinkled appearance of the old woman’s, and her facial features had all changed to an exact match.

Tonks scanned around the block again, keeping her wand concealed under the blankets. She let her gaze linger on the town house across the street – with all its lights off. It stood out from the others for being the only house on the block with no wreath on the front door or candles or menorah in the windows. And it had no visible decorations anywhere on or within it.

For the twenty-first night since taking up watch here, Tonks thought how ironic it was that her boss – who nagged her about the finest details of her disguises – had left her own home standing out like a sore thumb.

Ten minutes later, right on schedule, Tonks heard a _pop_ from the end of the street. She looked through the light snow-fall to watch Amelia Bones – who was unbuttoning her red auror’s cloak. She folded it over her arms, no doubt concealing her wand, as she walked slowly down the street. She tilted her head upwards to watch the snowfall as she meandered towards her home.

Habits broke hard. Mme. Bones was no exception to that rule. Even given the war and her advice to all her aurors to practice apparating right to their front doors, the head of the DMLE had maintained her own daily, leisurely stroll from the corner of the block, alongside the park, to her home.

Tonks watched Amelia take her auburn hair out of its strict bun as she scanned down the street through her pink monocle. Tonks nodded to her as Amelia approached, she even waved. Amelia nodded to her and smiled, reaching into the pocket of her robes.

“Evening, Mrs. Wilkins,” Amelia said. “Good day?”

“Better than yesterday,” Tonks said, making an effort to put on a raspy voice. “Still haven’t got over this cold though.”

“Your voice sounds worse as well,” Amelia worried, stuffing a roll of muggle bank notes into the coffee cup. “I have something for that.”

She reached into her pocket again. Tonks raised her eyebrows as she dug out an unlabelled, plastic bottle.

“My brother’s a doctor,” Amelia lied. “I had him get me the latest medicine.”

Tonks took the plastic bottle, which contained what she was sure was a pepper up potion. Mentally, she cursed. She’d have to figure out how to do Mrs. Wilkins normal voice by the time Amelia left for work tomorrow. “You’re too kind,” she said. “Happy Christmas, Ms. Bones.”

“You too,” Amelia managed a small smile. “Stay warm.”

As Amelia Bones turned away, towards the street and her home, she put up a heating charm around the bus stop. _Yep, definitely wand-less,_ Tonks thought with envy.

She was hyper alert as Amelia crossed the street, eyes out for any rats, any shadows in the alleys or along the roofs, or any shimmers of invisibility cloaks under the street lamps. Her ears were tuned for the slightest rustle, shuffle, or whisper of a cloak.

But there was nothing today, as there had been nothing the past three weeks. Amelia Bones was, in no time, safely behind the wards of her family’s old London home. Tonks breathed a sigh of relief and settled back against the glass wall of the bus stop. There was much less danger now. Anyone attempting to breach the wards would be _very_ obvious. She unscrewed the top from the pepper-up potion Amelia’d handed her. Couldn’t hurt to stay extra awake.

The lights lit up on the second floor of the house, and moments later Amelia appeared in the window with coffee and a book. She settled into an armchair near the windowsill.

Tonks frowned, and cast a charm to sharpen her vision.

She had assumed before the holiday that Amelia just wasn’t one to decorate far in advance, but looking into the house now, there was as little evidence of decoration inside as there was outside… and Christmas was nearly over.

Tonks watched Amelia. Her face was downcast and drawn as she stared at the cover of her book.

 _Guess she hasn’t bothered celebrating this year,_ Tonks thought, recalling that Amelia’s niece was spending the season safe at Hogwarts.

Tonks watched Amelia for a half hour, staring at her book, which Tonks bet she was not reading. All the while Tonks thought how decidedly unfair it was for Amelia Bones to be spending Christmas like this.

 _We didn’t even have the office party this year with everything going on,_ Tonks thought, scanning around the block. As she pondered, her eyes settled on an evergreen tree just inside the park, whose branches poked out through the fence. _Ugh,_ Tonks thought, pointing her wand through the crack between the bus stop’s glass walls. _I’m gonna regret this_.

She screwed up her face, concentrating as she tried to remember the right incantation, and then silently cast her spell.

Gold and silver sparks raced out of her wand, zipping through the evergreen’s branches and rustling them as the magic swirled up, around the tree – creating garlands and bulbs and candles that shown out into the night and made all the tinsel glitter. The magic filled every tree branch as it raced upwards, ending at the top where it left an angel in its wake.

Tonks stowed her wand a second before Amelia took notice, bolting out of her chair and throwing open her window. She leaned out of it, wand drawn.

Tonks smirked, hiding her face in one of the blankets as Amelia gaped at the giant Christmas tree. Her boss scanned the whole street, her gaze lingering on Tonks, who shrank back under the cover of the bus stop’s roof.

 _Might have just blown my bodyguard game,_ Tonks thought as she tried to ignore Amelia Bones scrutinizing gaze. _Lasted three weeks… well she’s gotta think that’s impressive at least._

And, Tonks considered an optimistic fall out, Bones might let her get away with it.

 _Better that than admit she overlooked me for three weeks, or admit that perhaps she_ does _need a bodyguard._

Perhaps she’d beg Kingsley to keep watch in her place a couple nights to throw Amelia off her trail… so long as someone was guarding the DMLE director…

Tonks heard a rustle in the trees behind her and turned around, casting _Hominem Revelio_.

Nothing. Likely a bird. Tonks gave the street another scan and took another swig of pepper-up potion.

No Death Eaters were getting up to anything on her watch.

~ _SMH_ ~

The green flames in the fire-place faded back to orange and extinguished with a _hiss_ as a chill wind blew through the sitting room. Bellatrix Lestrange turned away from the hearth as the Wizard-in-White materialized before her.

“An interesting floo call, I take it,” he said in his soft voice.

Bellatrix hummed. “A favour. Foolish elf to think he could ask it of me too.” She tapped her chin. “That is if he has what I think he has.”

“Hmm…” The wizard conjured his crystal ball. “I believe the item he’s acquired is this.”

Bellatrix peered at the image in the crystal ball. She gasped. “Then he _does_ have what I think!” she cursed. “Blood traitorous nuisance!”

The wizard chuckled. “Ah Bella: this trinket’s far more valuable than even you give it credit for.”

Bellatrix narrowed her eyes. Someday they would be on equal footing and she could force him to cease his silly, cryptic games. She stepped close to him. “What do you mean?” she asked, drawing her wand and putting it under his chin.

It only made him smirk. The wizard moved his hands around his crystal ball and Bellatrix peered closer to see. The image had zoomed in on a particular blue-green gem.

“Tis far more than your Dark Lord’s pathetic horcrux that’s hiding in there, and it’s something I’m most _eager_ to study.” The wizard grinned. “So I hope you took that elf up on his favour.”

 _~SMH_ ~

Grimmauld was host to a smaller party on New Years Eve, but a party none-the-less. Harry woke up when he heard the fire roar up in the drawing room fireplace. He rolled out of bed and down the stairs, finding Ron and Ginny on the couches with Hermione, already awake, and an Exploding Snap game being set up on the table. Ron eagerly dealt him in.

They'd played two games by the time the next guests arrived: Neville ducked out of the floo ahead of his parents, grinning from ear to ear. "Ginny!" he exclaimed, striding up to them. "Gin, she liked my present!"

Ginny smirked. "I told you she would," she said. "I told you five times."

"No I mean she more than liked it - look." And he took a well creased piece of parchment out of the breast pocket on his robes and brandished it at Ginny. "She asked me out!"

"A girl asked you out!" Ron exclaimed. "Who -  _what_!" he asked when he saw Hermione's stern look. "Can I help it if I'm surprised?"

"Usagi," Neville answered, his mouth forming a goofy smile as he folded up his letter and put it back in the pocket of his blue robes. "She wants to go stargazing together."

"Boring." Ginny yawned. "Why not break the rules and sneak out to Hogsmeade instead?" Ginny asked. "And bring me back Puddifoot's chocolate cake while you're at it."

"Or you could visit Honeydukes," Hermione threw in, motioning to Neville to sit on the couch beside her. "Usagi adores that place – oh and you could..."

Hermione and Ginny fell into date planning then, as Harry and Ron tried to keep up the flow of the exploding snap game. Hermione threw herself even more into the planning once her last card had exploded, joining Ginny in trying to decide what Neville should wear and what cologne he should buy. Throughout it, Ron and Harry both kept up a conversation with their eyes, debating whether to stay or not. Part of Harry certainly wanted to stay and take notes. But a much larger part of him wanted to run away – especially as Ginny got into what clothes would show off Neville’s best features, and also what she considered his best features to be...

The conversation was, thankfully, cut short close to 1:00, when a heavy crash sent green sparks and wood spewing out of the fireplace and across the carpet. Someone groaned, and a soot-covered, cloaked body rolled out of the fireplace onto the rug.

"Shhhiriushhh..." Mundungus Fletcher called, lifting his head off the carpet. "Shhiriush! Remush!"

There were two  _pops_ and Sirius and Remus appeared in front of Mundungus – Remus moving to stomp out several green sparks on the rug.

"Dung!" Sirius frowned at the man's rosy red cheeks and glassy eyes. "How much have you had?"

"A jolly night's worth!" Mundungus said. "Got to drink in the New Year bright and earrrrly."

"And you managed to floo here?" Remus asked, eyebrows raised.

"What like itsh-hard?" Mundungus belched. "Numburr twelf, Grim-old plashhe." He grinned, quite pleased with himself. "Only took me fife or sish tries."

Sirius snorted. "Where were you drinking?"

"And which bartender didn’t cut you off three hours ago?" Remus muttered.

"Here an' there," Mundungus said. He stumbled to his feet. "Speakin' ah. I'mma bit short." He demonstrated by upending his empty pockets... accidentally pulling his robe up over his briefs. Sirius started snickering, along with Harry and his friends. Remus smacked his hand over his face.

Mundungus carried on undeterred. "You got anymore merchandish fer a broke mate?" he asked. "Got a guy on Knockturn who's sellin' Mandrake vodka fer sheventeen shickles an' a bit of hair."

"You're getting gipped Dung," Sirius said, shaking his head. "Merlin, you smell like piss."

"Shhnot mine!"

"Sure," Sirius agreed, looking around. "Oh, good – Kreacher."

They all looked to the corner of the room. For once, Kreacher was present, busying himself dusting the trashcan. At being addressed. Kreacher dropped the duster and crossed his boney arms. "Master has another useless task to distract Kreacher from other useless tasks," the elf sneered. "Perhaps Master would like it if I moved all the attic furniture back to the right side."

“Oh no.” Sirius wagged his finger at Kreacher. "No, _you_ are the one I caught throwing pebbles at the locket." Sirius matched the elf glare for glare. "If you want useful things to do, you've got to trust me."

"If master would destroy the locket, Kreacher would," the elf protested. 

Sirius sighed. "Never mind," he gestured to the mess of ash and wood strewn across the drawing room's slightly burnt carpet. "Clean that up... then get a bucket for Dung here - he's gonna sleep in the library for a bit."

"Kreacher must do as master wishes," Kreacher said, dipping into a mockingly low bow as Sirius escorted Mundungus from the room. Remus followed after them shaking his head, and looked at Harry and his friends, most of whom were still quietly laughing on the couches.

"Avoid the library today if you can," Remus advised. "Carry on." 

~ _SMH_ ~

On December 31st, Draco Malfoy did not appear at the Room of Requirement until afternoon, having waited until he was absolutely sure Setsuna was gone for the day. And while he did look all around the hallway for anyone watching, he completely bypassed the four first years who'd hidden inside a suit of armor as soon as they saw him climbing up the stairs.

"Draco Malfoy," Sora whispered, peering out of the crack between the armor's leg armor. They’d been waiting ever since Setsuna had tasked them that morning with maintaining her duties, for she and the scouts were spending New Years Eve combatting several Death Eater attacks. "Finally."

"Wait," Megumi and Chibiusa said above her. Chibiusa's foot kicked Sora lightly on the shoulder.

"This needs to happen." Megumi whispered. "We just want to make sure he's not finishing his project too quickly."

Sora sighed. "But," and the rest of them shushed her. Sore peered out into the corridor. Draco had frozen midway through pacing in front of the wall. He whipped out his wand and scanned the area. All of them who'd packed into the suit of armor held perfectly still. 

Draco shook his head. "Stupid cat," he muttered, resuming his pacing.

A few moments later a door had appeared, and he moved inside. The breastplate of the suit swung open as Chibiusa and Megumi rolled out of the top. Megumi ran ahead to the doors, grabbing the handles before they could vanish. She tugged one them, but they didn’t budge.

"Alohomora!" Chibiusa whispered, but that did nothing. Sora and Akira climbed out of the legs of the armor. They ran over to the Room of Requirement.

"I can kick it," Sora offered

"I could melt it!"

Megumi shook her head, putting her palm on the door. "I can do it." She closed her eyes. The symbol on her forehead glowed bright bronze. "No dimension hides from me," she whispered, her other hand curled around the door handle. " _Let me through_."

The door clicked, one side creaking open.

"Stay quiet," Megumi cautioned, holding a finger to her lips as she eased the door open. They could hear Malfoy's footsteps somewhere inside.

Chibiusa slipped through first, leading them into the room. It had whole walls of shelves, broken furniture, dusty books, and all sorts of other odds and ends that had even Megumi looking curiously around.

"Is this where socks wind up when you lose them?" Sora muttered under her breath.

The junk that filled the room from floor to ceiling formed a labyrinth of sorts, one they could hear Malfoy striding confidently through. For their part the four first years shuffled along. Chibiusa in front, Sora at the back, Megumi walking close to Chibiusa's side, eyes closed.

"Which way?" Chibiusa asked when they reached a split in the labyrinth.

Megumi wrinkled her nose. "Left," she said. "This is a very crudely formed dimension."

Akira had to stifle her gasp. "It’s another dimension!"

Megumi nodded. "Right, up here." 

Malfoy's footsteps ceased somewhere ahead, and they ceased their talking, save Megumi's occasional direction. After a few minutes of walking they heard Draco mumbling, and the rustle of pages as he flipped through a book.

Sora raised her wand. But Megumi shook her head. "We can't," she mouthed. The Gryffindor sighed, but lowered her wand, hiding with the rest of them behind a molding, overstuffed armchair.

They watched Draco work for twenty minutes, casting spells and drawing runes on a tall wooden cabinet, before he tried to test his work. He stepped back from the cabinet and took a deep breath. He racked his hand through his hair and moved over to a side table, picking up an apple. He went to the cabinet and placed it inside, then knocked three times on the wood.

He waited. His hand hesitated over the handle, and then he wrenched open the cabinet door.

"Fuck!" he swore.

The green apple lay unmoved on the bottom of the cabinet. Malfoy pointed his wand at it. The fruit exploded. And he then slammed the door shut again, slamming his fist into it. His forehead thudded on the wood as he continued cursing under his breath.

A few minutes later, Draco Malfoy turned back to his textbook, and Megumi Meioh tugged on her friends’ robes, pointing them back towards the exit.

“We’re just gonna leave him to it?” Sora asked once they were back out in the hall. The door to the Room of Requirement vanished behind them.

Megumi nodded. “All Sailor Pluto wanted us to do was see if we could find a way in, and see how his work was going.” She looked up towards the left as she thought for a moment. “I think he’s right on schedule.”

“What’s the cabinet supposed to do?” Chibiusa asked.

“When it works, it’ll act like a wormhole,” Megumi explained. “Condensing space so the Death Eaters can enter Hogwarts undetected.” They gasped, but Megumi carried on. “So long as nothing impedes him, or speeds up his work, that should happen some time in April.”

“Then we should stop him!” Sora cried.

But Megumi was shaking her head. “It’s necessary in the original timeline…” she said, biting her lip. “And in order for the second prophecy to happen, it’s necessary that it occur now too.”

All her friends sighed. Their shoulders sagged.

“This blows,” Akira said.

“Seconded,” Sora said as they began walking towards the stairs. She stuffed her hands in the pockets of her robes. “When are you gonna tell us what’s in the prophecy?” she asked.

Megumi stared at her shoes as all three of them turned to look at her. “The contents of the prophecy are unimportant.” She said. “What _is_ important is making sure it happens, cause it will stem effects the Change-maker’s having on the timeline.”

Sora, Akira, and Chibiusa all traded looks. “That means it’s baaaad,” Sora sang. She walked up to the stairs and hopped onto the banister, sliding down to the sixth floor landing.

Megumi rolled her eyes. “All prophecies are bad,” she muttered. “How many times do I have to tell her that?”

“Doesn’t matter how many,” Akira chuckled, shaking her head. “She’s gonna pester you until you tell us.” And she hopped up onto the banister herself. “Which you should do,” she said, stretching out her arms as she sailed down to the sixth floor.

Chibiusa hung back with Megumi, putting her hand on her shoulder. “They’re right,” she said. “It couldn’t hurt to tell us what’ll happen.”

“It will,” Megumi said gravely. “Prophecies are one of those things I keep to myself.”

“Why?” Chibiusa asked.

Megumi thought for a moment. Up ahead, Sora and Akira were already sliding down towards the fifth floor.

“They predicted the end of the Silver Millennium,” she said. “That had to happen, and a lot of good came out of it.”

“So?” Chibiusa said. “A lot of good will come out of this one too, right?”

Megumi nodded. “But that prophecy was known by only two people, in full. Two in the whole solar system.” She looked at Chibiusa. “Do you know why?”

“Erm… security purposes?”

Megumi raised one of her eyebrows. “What do you think would have happened if it had got out that the Silence Glaive was going to slaughter nine planets worth of people?”

Chibiusa gulped. “This prophecy is that bad.”

Megumi shook her head. “No, not by half,” she crossed her arms. “But I am… confident that the fewer people know its contents, the more likely it will be to come to pass.” She sighed. “I’m sorry.”

Chibiusa frowned. “Don’t be sor –”

Akira shouted three floors below, cutting Chibiusa off. She and Megumi ran to the railing and leaned over it.

Akira was on the third floor. And Sora was on the floor next to her, holding her hands up to the light.

They were translucent.

Megumi and Chibiusa thundered down the stairs, jumping onto the landing halfway down the final flight. Megumi landed, still running, and skidded to a halt next to Sora. Chibiusa was right behind her.

“I thought you said you weren’t diffusing anymore!” Megumi fretted, tugging at her hair.

Sora sat up. “I didn’t w-want you to panic,” she said. Her voice wobbled. By now her knees had begun to fade too.

“But… but they’re not fighting anything super bad today,” Megumi whispered. “U-uranus and Neptune fine. They should be fine – I promise they are.”

“We-we’re not supposed to promise things,” Sora said, trying to smile at Megumi, though every other second her gaze returned to her disappearing hands. “Mama always says,”

“Shut up!” Megumi cried, throwing herself at Sora. “I can too promise!”

Akira and Chibiusa traded glances as they knelt on the third floor landing. Chibiusa held her wand in hand. Akira was biting her lip.

“They’ll be alright,” Megumi cried. “Please don’t disappear.”

Sora, trapped in Megumi’s hug, lifted her head, watching her hands. “I’m trying not to,” she muttered. “I think… this just happens if they get hurt.” The tingling feeling was fading. “I think I’m fine.” Chibiusa and Akira sighed as they watched her hands return to normal. “Yeah… see.” She tried to grin as Megumi pulled away from her. “False alarm.” She flexed her hands. “Um…” she looked at Megumi. “When are they are they going to get back?”

Megumi closed her eyes. “They’ll foil the last death eater attack about twenty minutes of midnight… and be here right after.”

“That long!” Chibiusa gasped.

“I think…” Akira thought. “If we can figure out the notice-me-not charm, we could watch them battle in the common room fire!”

Sora’s eyes lit up. “I know the spell for that one.” She jumped up, still flexing her hands to make sure they were real. “Let’s go!”

~ _SMH_ ~

All nine senshi returned to Hogwarts exactly when Megumi’d said. The Time Doors let them out right a top the Astronomy tower. The first years who’d waited behind for them raced up onto the roof of the tower just after the senshi arrived. Chibiusa tucked herself under Usagi’s arm, Akira squeezed between Rei and Mina as they found a spot along the tower wall, and Sora raced right to Haruka – who walked out of the time doors with a limp. Only Megumi hung back, until Setsuna waved her over.

The senshi had fought five battles against the Death Eaters and their creature allies since the day’d begun. They’d enabled the aurors to capture several. And – though Haruka’s had a near escape after a duel with Avery and Dolohov had turned sour – no one, wix or muggle, had been hurt the entirety of New Years Eve.

“Just in time for 1997,” Usagi cheered, standing on her tiptoes and scanning across the dark horizon. “Will we see fireworks from here?”

“Hogsmeade should be setting some off,” Ami said, pointing Usagi in the right direction. “Is anyone cold?” They’d left without even their cloaks that morning. Ami summoned a bunch of rocks up from the ground and proceeded to transfigure them into blue hats, mittens, and scarves.

“I have good news,” Megumi told Setsuna as they waited for the midnight fireworks. “We were able to get into the Room of Requirement while Malfoy was using it – he’s not any farther ahead with his plan than he should be.”

Setsuna smiled, though it didn’t quite meet her eyes. “Good,” she said. And it was good, but frustrating all the same: one less way to confirm whether Malfoy’s timeline was changing like Lestrange’s, and whether his choices were also masked from her. “Did you hear the phrase that opened the door?”

Megumi blushed. “No,” she whispered. “We just caught the door before it disappeared.”

Setsuna sighed. “Well a good job anyways.” She worried her lip between her teeth as she turned her gaze towards Hogsmeade village.

She’d felt antsy since 20:21. She hadn’t paid attention to it up until now; their battles with the death eaters had required all of her attention.

But the uneasy feeling lingered even this many hours later.

“Setsuna?”

“Hmm?” She looked up. Ami was holding a blue hat out to her.

“Don’t you want one too?”

“I…” She did feel cold, but it was the uneasy feeling that was making her shiver. “In a bit,” she said, extracting herself from Hotaru and Megumi’s hug. “I’ve just got to check something.”

“What?” they all asked.

“I’ll only be a minute,” she said, raising her wand and summoning the Time Doors back. She stepped through them before Haruka or Michiru could follow and sighed, turning back to the sands.

“What?” she muttered, transforming so she could more easily pin point the disturbance. “What’s changed between this morning and now?”

That was too broad a question for the sands of time. Pluto grimaced as they whirled up all around her in a cyclone.

“Alright, Alright,” she murmured as they settled. She raised her Garnet Rod. “Let me see Voldemort’s plans.”

Just the same: designating new Death Eaters to fill the positions of the seven currently stewing in the Aurors holding cells, reviewing which assassinations he desired a personal hand in, checking on his Horcruxes…

Setsuna frowned. The last plot appeared in the sands as she watched, it was his decision in the present time. Surprising. Unplanned. She tried to see what had prompted it, but all the sands did was swirl unhelpfully.

 _Why does he need to check on them?_ Setsuna thought and swallowed a lump in her throat. _Unless he has intelligence that some of his Horcruxes have been compromised._

“Zoisite,” she pleaded the time sands. “Show me Zoisite.”

~ _SMH_ ~

Everyone at Grimmauld was gathered on the roof, with several sets of omnioculars trained towards the Thames and the London Eye. Harry sat shoulder to shoulder with Ron and Ginny, and Neville and Hermione on either side of them. He could hear several of the Order, and Sirius and Remus laughing farther up on the roof.

“Now wait,” Ron said, zooming in his Omnioculars as Harry shifted on the roof, suddenly unable to sit still. Absently, his hand up moved to rub his scar. “There’s no _people_ inside that wheel when they light these off right?”

“Of course not,” Hermione scoffed. “That would have serious...”

Harry did not hear the rest of her reply though. For a burst of pain exploded from his scar. He hissed, pressing his palm harder against his forehead.

“ _Harry!_ ” Remus shouted first as Harry got to his feet. He pushed past Ron and Hermione, bolting for the door to the stairs. He stumbled down them, heart hammering as he registered the feeling he was receiving from Voldemort – the one _burning_ in his veins.

Voldemort felt absolutely furious. Terrified. Outraged.

Harry moved down two floors to the nearest lit fireplace, in the drawing room, barely hearing the many pairs of feet that had raced down from the roof after him. His knees slammed hard into the carpet as he gasped, left hand still pressed over his scar.

He used the fire as Rei’d taught him last year, concentrating on Voldemort’s emotions, entering his mind purposefully.

 _“Avada Kedavra_!” _The green light shot out of his wand, striking that idiot Rowle between the eyes. The head cracked against the marble floor as the body landed next to the other failure, Aldermaston._

_“ANYONE ELSE!” he thundered. “Want to report their incompetence overseeing their districts?”_

_The room of his faithful was absolutely silent. “Go.” He hissed at them. They all (the cowards) scrambled from the room._

_All save the best of them: her dark hair did not hide her smirk as she knelt before his throne. He raised his hand. “Bella,” he whispered. “Come here.”_

_She giggled and crawled up to him, kissing the hand he held out to her. “My Lord,” she crooned. “I’m sorry for having displeased you with such bad news.”_

_“Enough of that,” he snapped. “You were the one loyal enough to alert me to their incompetence – and to recover that which is most precious to me.” He combed her hair. “You are the only one I can trust.”_

_“Trusted enough to rule beside you?” Bellatrix asked._

_He withdrew his hand. He would not offer such yet. “We shall see,” He lifted something from his lap. “Your trustworthiness though is to be rewarded.” Bellatrix gasped as he held the precious artefact up by its chain, draping it around her neck. “I’m sure you and our associate can keep this safe...”_

“Harry!”

Harry gasped, heart racing. He scrambled to sit up on the carpet and right his glasses, knocked askew when he’d scrambled back from the fire. _How was it possible?_ He’d seen Sirius lock it up in the library himself.

“Harry?!”

“V-voldemort,” Harry panted. “He and B-bellatrix have the…”

~ _SMH_ ~

At a minute-to-midnight, when she should have gorging on her mothers famous pudding, Tonks was, instead, apparating straight into the Order Headquarters. She whipped her wand out as she did.

It was a rare occasion that Amelia Bones sent her mourning dove patronus directly to Tonks parents home.

“ _Meet me in Morgue,”_ the bird had said before vanishing. “ _Tell no one.”_

Now she scanned the office. There were a few aurors here, filling out paperwork. The rest were likely out guarding the holiday celebrations.

She jumped as a _pop_ sounded from the Apparition point across from her, but it was just her partner. “Kingsley,” she sighed, lowering her wand.

“A birdie tell you to be here too?” he asked, drawing his own wand.

She nodded, moving with him towards the stairs. They kept their wands hidden as they moved through the main office, greeting those aurors and staff working at the desks as casually as they could.

When bad things happened. Bones held office meetings with everyone present. Even nowadays, when questions lingered about everyone’s true allegiance, the whole office remained in the know.

But it appeared the mourning dove had come to she and Kingsley alone…

Her partner held open the door to the stairs and they descended, passed the level of the holding cells, all the way down to the Morgue.

Amelia Bones had her back to them as they slipped through the final, iron door. She was standing over the exam table, one that had a body on it, covered in a white sheet.

“Mme. Bones,” Kingsley said as they joined her.

“Apologies for calling you in on a night off,” Amelia whispered. “But this is a matter of some importance.” She gestured to the covered body. “This man was found in East London by a muggle three hours ago. Wand missing, all traces of magic wiped off him. Very professional.”

“How did you find him?” Tonks asked.

“I received an owl,” Amelia said. She waved her wand. A note appeared, bearing only a set of coordinates and, Tonks shivered, dark mark painted on the paper in heavy green ink. “Something from the last war?” she asked

“These are new,” Kingsley said.

Amelia nodded. “Someone’s enjoying taunting us.”

Deep in the walls, the old pipes rattled and clanged.

“It was a very professional dump,” Amelia said. “Only trace of magic on the body was a compulsion charm, cast by a house elf, and traces of grade four dark magic on his hands, neck, and chest.”

“Couldn’t be removed by _Deleres_ ,” Kingsley surmised.

“I processed the case myself,” Amelia said. “Victim’s male, thirties or forties. Whoever dumped the body ensured the diagnostic spells would turn up nothing, but the C.O.D. was clear anyways, and unusual – strangulation.”

“Lestrange,” Tonks whispered in a hoarse voice.

“Exactly my guess,” And then Amelia lifted one of her fists. “This was found on him, it’s not going in the evidence report.” Tonks heart stuttered in her chest as Amelia opened her hand, revealing the phoenix pin in her palm. Tonks hair turned white as she darted her eyes down to the covered body on the table. _Too thin to be Mad-Eye, to short to be Remus…_

“As this is same sort of pin you gave me,” Amelia said in a soft voice. “I am… hoping you can ID him.” And at Tonks and Kingsley’s nod, she pulled back the white sheet.

Tonks fists clenched on the table. Kingsley swore.

“Do we know what strangled him?” Tonks asked.

Amelia nodded. “Jewellery, I presume. It was something that was stolen before he was discovered, and he was found with several valuable things on him, so I believe the missing murder weapon was also the reason he was targeted. I was able to construct a rudimentary model.” She waved her wand. The image of a chain appeared above the body, one that matched the marks around his neck. It was silver with an unusually sturdy chain. Tonks and Kingsley locked eyes over the table. They were very familiar with that sort of chain, designed to support a heavy piece of jewellery.

“You know what it was then. Tell me,” Amelia demanded. “It’s high time this resistance was paired with the resources I have at the Ministry.” She looked between the two of them. “Tell me what we’re dealing with.”

Kingsley swore again. “You’re not going to like it.” He conjured his patronus, sending the Lynx racing off towards Grimmauld. His voice rumbled as he whispered the words the Lynx would, in a few seconds, relay to those at Headquarters and Hogwarts. “The Horcrux has been stolen. Mundungus Fletcher is dead.”

_~I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good~_


	14. Delerio

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last Time on Sailor Moon H: It was a somber New Years for the Order of the Phoenix when Mundungus Fletcher was first found to have stolen the Slytherin Horcrux (and thus Zoisite’s gem) from Grimmauld place, and further sombered when he was found murdered, likely by Lestrange, with the Locket no where to be found. As the Christmas Break closes, it seems the dark side has gained the upper hand. In the new year, the Order and the Senshi are desperately seeking the upper-hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: So this was a long time coming, I know. But I think it will suffice. There were many pieces to move and I am satisfied to have moved all the ones I wanted to, and I took the time to write it to a non cliff hanger ending. Also exciting news from my life: I’m going to grad school in the fall! (I can leave my job that drives me so nuts!) I don’t know how that will affect my writing schedule yet, and I know I have three more fics on the docket for my main story-verses. But I still assure you that they will be finished… but this is my dream grad school and my dream career path… So you will just have to bear with me one month at a time.
> 
> Thank you so so SO much to the readers who reached out to me the past two months with patience and support. I really needed it. And I hope this chapter is reward enough for the effort you put in to kick my but into writing it. XD.
> 
>  
> 
> Disclaimer: Just look at chapter 1
> 
>  

 

**Delerio**

**_FLETCHER, MUNDUNGUS_ **

_b. March 10 th, 1956; d. December 31st, 1996. Fletcher was a half-blood wizard and a Slytherin alum. He dropped out of Hogwarts in 1973 following an altercation with several housemates and since then has lived majorly in Belfast and London. His most recent residence was in 56 Knockturn alley. He was killed in London December 31st, 1996. The investigation is ongoing. The DMLE requests that anyone with information about Mr. Fletcher’s recent movements or acquaintances contact their floo hotline._

_Mr. Fletcher has no known family members. His body will be put to rest and a memorial put up at Cross Ways following the conclusion of the DLME investigation._

**_HOUSE ELF BODY FOUND DUMPED IN ISLINGTON_ **

_A dead house-elf was discovered by muggles in Claremont Square, Islington around 7 am, January 2 nd. The elf was identified by the Dept. of Magical Creatures as the principle elf of the deceased Mme. Walburga Black, mother of the notorious Sirius Black, who was acquitted of the murder of Peter Pettigrew and 12 muggles last year. The location the body was found in is the same as the location as Walburga Black’s ancient family home, number 12 Grimmauld Place, which is believed to have been destroyed, as it currenly unlocatable. The elf had been presumed dead since Mme. Black’s death in 1985, as Sirius Black never filled out the paperwork to notify the Department of any change in ownership. _

_The muggles who found the elf initially drove it to a “Veterinarian” (a healer for muggle animals) where a squib, Angus Rowle, notified the correct authorities. The muggles involved have been obliviated._

_The DMC has put up a 50 galleon reward for any information concerning the elf’s owner, and would like to remind the public that there is a 100 galleon fine for improper disposal of deceased elves into muggle accessible areas._

The small blue-green stone looked completely orange by the firelight, its small, dulled face not particularly bright or shiny. Bellatrix Lestrange made a face as she held it, and the Dark Lord’s locket, up to her eye. She wouldn’t have even thought it suitable for the most simplistic rune work from her school days.

“ _Remarkable, isn’t it?”_ the Wizard-in-White whispered as he materialized beside her, partially blocking the firelight.

She glanced at him, watching the final wisps of ash swirl into the corporeal form of his cloak with barely disguised envy. He still had not taught her to do that.

He chuckled. “In time, my dear Bella,” he smirked, lifting his arms and letting them swirl into ash and back again. “It all depends on you, really, how soon you can do it. There’s no trick to it.”

Bellatrix huffed, and turned her attention back to the locket in her hands. And the gem…

“I’d hardly call it remarkable – look at it.” She held it out, tapping one sharpened nail against the blue-green Zoisite that the Wizard-in-White had been quite eager to acquire. “It’s cloudy. You’d never get decent magic done with this.”

“Wait until the wizard within it is awakened,” The Wizard said. “It will shine as brightly as a sapphire.” He hummed. “But not yet – we must make an adequate study of it first.” He reached out and brushed his fingers gently over the gemstone. “Your Dark Lord – to have missed this when he acquired it.” He shook his head. “Such a waste.” And he lifted his wand, casting what she recognized as a diagnostic spell over the locket.

“Why?” Bellatrix muttered. She might have been irritated by her Dark Lord’s continued under-appreciation of her, but this wizard’s low opinion of his intellect was still decidedly more irritating. “It isn’t as if one can identify a Horcrux easily.” She shrugged. “Besides, surely two together are more powerful than one.”

“Ah…” The wizard cast another series of charms over the locket and the Zoisite. “But that is where you are wrong, my dear. This Zoisite is _not_ a Horcrux. It is light magic.”

Bellatrix grip on the locket faltered as she gasped. She nearly dropped it, catching it by the chain. It chimed as she caught it and swung between them, giving off the flickering bright orange light from the hearth.

“Secondly,” the wizard said, re-casting his last spell without a hint of irritation. “This is not a piece of a soul, but a whole unto itself. And, as we can infer from the awakening of the Jadeite in Gryffindor’s sword, the soul in this stone belongs to a living, functioning person.”

Bellatrix shivered and tossed the locket towards him, letting him catch it while she crossed her arms to hide the shaking in her hands. Pieces of her soul – _fine,_ but the whole thing! “ _That isn’t possible,”_ she spat. “You can’t live or function without your soul. I’ve seen the Dementor’s Kiss – I know.”

“And you would be correct – and yet there is Ginevra Weasley – who seems to have had a soul before and, by accounts from your source, is not much changed for having bonded with the soul in the sword. So they must be the same person.”

“Then it has got to be a Horcrux hasn’t it.”

“Oh Bella,” The wizard chuckled again, and she summoned a knife to throw at him. He vanished, reappearing behind her. When she spun around, the gleaming locket was spinning just shy of her nose. “Can you not think a little more creatively?”

She scowled. “If there’s a whole soul in the stone, and the soul’s… person, is living unhindered without it.” She glared past the locket at him. “I say it’s impossible. If you’re alive, you’ve got to have a soul.”

“Indeed, you do.” He tucked the locket into his sleeve and held out both thin, veiny hands. “So if the one in the locket is whole…” a bit of fire appeared over his palm. “And the living person has the same one, and they’re neither of them a Horcrux…” He took his free hand and passed it over the flame in his left, when he drew it away a new flame burned over his right palm, burning until it was of equal size and strength to the other. “What do you suppose has happened?”

Her eyes widened as she stared at the fire. “It _grew!”_

“Precisely.” The fire vanished from his hands.

“ _That’s_ impossible.”

“That. Is ancient magic.” And he cupped his hands together, summoning his crystal ball. She stepped closer to peer into it as light appeared inside, taking shape. She squinted.

 _A castle…_ though not one of Hogwarts make. No, this one was shorter: with a stonewall bordering it on three sides. She could see the notches atop the wall where long-range castors or squib archers would have been positioned. Three tall, white towers stood up on the other side of the wall, and a sprawling flower garden covered the lawn – even flowing over trellises to create several covered walkways.

“ _Elysion_ ,” the wizard whispered reverently. “Earth’s first magical kingdom. One, which lived openly and boldly before the wretched, magicless masses. Twas ruled by a King of Earth – that was the strength of the magic our kind used to possess. _King of Earth._ We witches and wizards were powerful enough to own that title.”

The crystal ball shimmered. The castle vanished. In its place, Bellatrix saw five crystals – one of them gold. At first she mistook it for the philosopher’s stone.

Around it were four common gems. The dull Zoisite, the Jadeite that was now in the possession of the Weasley girl, and two others: a green Nephrite and a rose-pink Kunzite.

“The greatest light magic we ever made,” the wizard said. “Binding souls into gemstones that gave them power unsurpassed – you know the stories of Death’s wand, I am sure. These wizards were greater than that.” He smirked. “I have been investigating this lost art for years – to confirm that these souls could grow is a delightful revelation.”

She gazed critically at the vision within the crystal ball. “What rune work could do this?”

“Not runes.”

“A curse then.”

“Nothing of the kind.”

“Well it must be something!” she snapped. “This is… this isn’t children’s tricks. You can’t make these sorts of artefacts simply by wishing it.”

“And yet…” The wizard conjured the Dark Lord’s locket back into his right hand. “The evidence is before you,” he said. “There’s no residue of a curse on this gem. Nor a potion, nor any faded runes. Perhaps there was a ritual involved in ancient times, but my hypothesis is that, yes, these were made simply by wishing it.”

She grabbed the locket back from him, holding it once more to her eye. “With the power you claim it has… can it do magic on its own?”

“Perhaps, but only by the hand of the wizard its soul belongs to… or another touched by the same magic.” He stowed his crystal ball away. “This one was put into a deep sleep. Its bearer we can assume is unaware of it, and thus its power is dormant.” He chuckled as she tapped the stone with her own wand and muttered another diagnostic spell. “But yes – this Zoisite would have all the powers of its wizard and more – not the pathetic survival instincts of your Dark Lord’s horcruxes, or even the rudimentary powers of my refined models.” He lifted his face, his hood pulling back from his hungry, dark eyes. “We have much to learn from Zoisite.” Then his expression darkened. “Unfortunately, I doubt we will learn how this soul learned to grow. Your dark lord’s soul has corrupted the light magic. So we will not get a full picture of this magic’s capabilities from investigating this.”

“Well we could wake the Zoisite.”

“Even then,” the wizard said. “The horcrux would disrupt the workings of the ancient magic.” He shook his head. “No – to find out how these can grow, we’ll need access to a pure example. If I can study that, we can re-create this magic.”

“Then we need to find one – oh. How bout the Jadeite.” Bellatrix cackled. “A few casualties would be worth having a Weasley around – They’re fun to crucio.”

“Perhaps… or,” He hummed. “No that would be beyond even your capabilities.”

“Excuse you,” Bellatrix darted forwards, grabbing the neck of his robe and holding her wand on him. “ _Nothing is beyond me.”_

 _“_ Oh but this would be a feat of inexplicable planning and skill.” He leaned into rather than away from her; the cool white fabric of his hood brushed her forehead. “You would need to be prepared to make and lose more of our… experiments. And even with the Time Guardian blinded.” His eyes gleamed. “You must be very, very lucky.”

“I don’t need luck.” She pulled away, not releasing his cloak. “What gemstone are we seeking?”

He conjured his crystal ball again, the image inside was blindingly bright. “This one…”

~ _SMH~_

“And anyways, I’d have much preferred to be here,” Professor Sinistra’s loud voice carried across the head table on January 7th, the first night of term they were all back from the holiday. “Tried to escape down to the Pyrenees to get away from it all – and of course what’s the only thing the French want to talk about?”

 _Voldemort_ , the name was an unspoken boogieman the hovered over the packed Great Hall, made known in every cut off sentence – drawn out pause, and in the accidental, fretful scritch-scratch of cutlery against bare porcelain plates and bowls.

His name appeared too in every synonym for him that filtered up to the staff from the house tables below…

“ _He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.”_

_“You-know-who.”_

_“The Dark… you know.”_

_“Dementors.”_

_“Vampires.”_

_“Hired security trolls.”_

_“Death Eaters…”_

_“Lestrange…”_

_“The Mark”_

_“The Dark Mark”_

“Saw that over Knockturn when I went down to pick up some of the more sensitive supplies,” Slughorn said. “Nothing illegal mind, or nothing that should be if you ask anyone in my field.”

“Hmm…” Setsuna sighed, and did not even laugh at Rolanda Hooch’s snickered reply.

Her eyes scanned over the four packed tables. The snatches of conversation she could hear amongst the din of young voices suggested all those who’d gone home for the holidays were being badgered by those forced to stay for news: of families, of Diagon Alley, and of what people were saying these days. Whole stacks of newspapers brought back by the students were being spread out along the tables, for they’d been in short supply over the holiday at school. More parents had cancelled their students’ subscriptions.

Her eyes lingered on the table on the right hand side of the hall. Chibiusa was at the far end, seemingly right at home conversing with Iphigenela Nott and her fellow first years.

Two seats from her, bent over the table with the brims of their hats dipped low so that their lips could not be read, Theodore Nott and Draco Malfoy were also carrying on a conversation. So far away, it was impossible for even Setsuna to hear what they spoke of.

Thankfully, it was not so difficult for two of the other senshi in the great hall. Chibiusa had sat herself down next to Iphigenela Nott, purposefully close to Malfoy and Nott. And across the aisle in Ravenclaw, a slim figure was hunkered down next to Luna Lovegood, her short, black hair disguised by the hood of her cloak.

It was a good think Malfoy was the one with his back to Ravenclaw, Chibiusa thought as she watched him whisper to Nott to _shut it_ , about his sojourn off the grounds a few days before.

“ _Well don’t get your knickers in a twist,”_ Nott said, rubbing his left arm as he leaned over the dining table. _“It isn’t like no one else has ever snuck off the grounds.”_

“ _And q_ _uit rubbing it!"_ Malfoy snapped. _"He'll notice."_

Nott scoffed. " _He's too busy gossiping about his Christmas socks up there; Old Coot isn't even looking."_

" _McGonagall_ is."

" _What's she gonna do? Give me points off for having an itch? I got it glamoured. Now buzz off. It smarts, alright. It's new."_

 _"Think it smarts now, wait ‘till he calls you,"_ Malfoy muttered, " _Oi, Higgins, pass the pumpkin juice."_

Out of the corner of her eye Chibiusa saw him pour it. When he set down the pitcher, Malfoy rubbed his left arm too.

" _Oh now who's giving himself away,"_ Nott sneered.

" _S' your fault – you made me think about it,"_ Malfoy groused. _"Why've you got one anyways? I know you didn’t earn it_."

" _As if anyone believes you did?"_ Nott mocked. " _And yeah - special circumstances. Or did you get the owl?"_

There was a pause. Chibiusa leaned over and saw Nott smirking.

" _So you didn’t then. Well, in that case…”_ Nott reached out and stole Draco's pumpkin juice, drinking nearly half of it. " _How's it feel to be expendable?"_

Malfoy’s nostrils flared and he snatched the goblet back from Nott, giving it a thorough _scourgify_. “ _Not expendable_ ,” he retorted. “ _Just don’t_ need _owls when you’ve got someone in person passing things along.”_

“ _You’re bluffing,”_

 _“You wish._ ” Malfoy poured himself a new drink. “ _Sides, you’re gonna need me. You won’t even be able to_ think _about your job without… well… being predictable?”_

“ _If you were in the know_ ,” Nott said, leaning over the table. “ _You’d know he’s got that covered.”_

“ _And if you knew how things worked,”_ Malfoy said. “ _You’re know they can’t go handing it out to just_ anybody.” He sipped his drink. “ _How’s about, you keep itching your arm and let the_ prefect _handle it.”_

Nott fumed and stood up from his seat, rattling the whole table. Hotaru, at Ravenclaw scowled as he stood up and moved away from Malfoy, who was never that chatty without someone to goad him.

“That,” Ami whispered across the table from her, “looked… interesting.”

“Nott’s got a mission now,” Hotaru murmured so that only Luna, Megumi, and Ami could hear. Luna, sitting beside her, even had to lean in closer to Hotaru. “Malfoy’s trying to pretend he’s important” She furrowed her brows. “Malfoy said Nott was predictable.”

“Could he be talking about Setsuna?” Luna whispered

“Then Malfoy _does_ have the potion,” Megumi whispered.

The potion blocking Bellatrix Lestrange from Setsuna and Megumi’s powers… They’d wanted proof that Malfoy had it for ages…

Hotaru’s fork skidded across her plate as she stabbed towards her food and missed it. Her head was turned towards Malfoy, now beckoning Crabbe and Goyle to his side.

 _So you are taking the potion,_ Hotaru thought with a scowl. _Why? What are you doing that’s that important?_

“But then…” Ami frowned. “If Nott also has a task from Voldemort… why wouldn’t Voldemort have just given it to him?”

“It might the Changemaker’s potion,” Megumi whispered.

“Changemaker?” Luna asked.

“Wizard-in-White,” Hotaru murmured, turning away from Malfoy. The conversation with Crabbe and Goyle was swiftly turning to posturing and bragging: entirely disinteresting.

Hotaru’s gaze caught a par of green eyes at the Gryffindor table, glaring, like she’d been, at Malfoy. Hotaru waved.

On Harry’s part, it took him several seconds to notice her and he jumped when he did, shivering as her solemn purple eyes caught and held his gaze.

Even as well as Harry knew Hotaru, her eyes, at times, were a bit more than unsettling. It wasn’t the color. Rei had the same, and Harry never felt half as strange as he did when Hotaru stared at him: as though the Earth had slipped out from under his feet and left him adrift, as moor-less as a ghost drifting up into the air.

_“Harry?”_

“Wuh?” Ron looked as though he’d asked Harry a question. “Er, yeah. Yeah absolutely,” Harry said on a guess.

Hermione was looking at him strangely.

Ginny cleared her throat and clapped him on the shoulder. “You just agreed the Chudley Cannons were a shoe-in,” she said.

Harry sighed.

At least Ron had moved on with the conversation. Harry glanced back over at Hotaru.

She looked between Malfoy and Harry, and tapped her ear. Harry shifted in his seat.

“What are you… doing?” Hermione asked.

“Malfoy’s up to something,” he whispered.

“Could it be about the Horcrux?” Ginny whispered.

Maybe. Voldemort had been in a near constant state of rage since finding out his Horcruxes had been discovered by the Order. When Harry’d spied on him, he’d given the locket over to Bellatrix Lestrange for safe keeping, and had given orders to all his followers to make sure no one got the rest.

Harry’d hoped if he spied on Voldemort enough he’d find out where another one was hidden. Perhaps he could catch Voldemort assigning the Horcruxes bodyguards. But Voldemort had not revealed a thing any of the times Harry had been spying.

 _And Malfoy was here for the Holidays anyways,_ Harry thought.

Still, maybe re-capturing the locket had affected whatever mission Malfoy had.

Harry caught Hotaru’s eye again. Thinking, and feeling surer the more he thought of it, though for the life of him, he couldn’t fathom what Voldemort might need Malfoy to do.

A crack over the center of the Great Hall startled all the students as one of the candle flames seemed to explode. The fireball burst towards the head table, resolving into the red, orange, and white-tipped plumage of a phoenix. Fawkes soared up to Dumbledore, circling over his head and dropping a letter in his lap.

As the Headmaster picked it up, the bird darted off to the right side of the table, landing heavily on Setsuna’s arm and setting Slughorn’s hair aflame with his wing.

Rolanda Hooch and Setsuna chuckled as Slughorn squawked and waved his wand frantically towards his head, casting an _Aguamenti_ that also drenched his cloak.

Fawkes paid the man no mind, busy adjusting his perch on Setsuna’s arm. He butted her cheek with his forehead. Setsuna was grinning.

“He really does like you,” Hooch murmured.

“Well why shouldn’t he?” Setsuna said, offering the phoenix a bit of the food from her plate.

Fawkes chirped, and the tidbit in her palm burst into rich, red flames a moment before the bird gobbled it up.

“We’re both creatures who belong to time,” Setsuna murmured, biting her lip as she lifted her hand to stroke the bird’s beak. In the past, when he deigned to see her, he had helped her to see something important.

 _Could you help me now?_ she wondered, _to see what Lestrange is hiding from me?_

The phoenix hiccupped; a puff of white smoke hit her palm, hot enough that she jerked it back. Fawkes ruffled his crackling, orange feathers and trained his ash-speckled beak towards her face. Coal-black eyes bored into her. She drew Fawkes closer as he chirped again, and stretched his neck up to preen her hair.

_She stood over an airy room: with high windows and chandeliers and portraits along back wall. Three tables wrapped round the room and eleven men and women sat at them. She could see the Hogwarts crest embossed on the leather folders beside each of them._

_The Board of Governors. Her eyes fell on a man that bore a striking resemblance to Theodore Nott. He was smirking…_

_At Dumbledore, across the room, who looked quite furious._

_“It’s a new year,” the Nott look-a-like said. “And clearly Hogsmeade is not a target.”_

_Eleven board members waved their wands, pointing them towards the middle of the room. A piece of parchment, appeared there, and eleven signatures began to ink themselves onto the bottom of the page._

_“Perhaps Voldemort’s assured them Hogsmeade is not a target,” Dumbledore’s grave voice echoed as Fawke’s red flames rose up to cover the vision. As those burned, Setsuna saw other things._

_Thestral-drawn carriages rattling towards Hogsmeade across the icy road…_

_The Dark mark in the twilight sky over the village. She squinted through Fawkes’ flames. The building was indistinct, masked by smoke…_

_The image wavered, turning to a strip of the cleared, frozen cobblestones in Hogsmeade’s square. Dark magic struck the stones, splintering the mortar, Something began to form over it…_

What? _She demanded as the vision became clouded with smoke once more: thick, heavy plumes of it that choked out Fawkes fire, preventing her from seeing more…_

_Setsuna heard Fawkes chirp and spun around, away from the smoke._

_There was a little of the fire left, unobstructed. And within it, one last, wavering vision._

_A cauldron. She knelt over the small flame to get a better look even as the dark smoke encroached on it._

_A pale hand lifted something up to the cauldron: a ladle, the kind used to fill small vials. The hand dipped it into the cauldron._

_Once… twice… thrice… four times._

_“_ Setsuna?”

She jerked her head up as the smoke snuffed out Fawkes last vision and looked at the phoenix on her arm.

“Four?” she whispered.

Fawkes squawked, nodding his head and pushing off her arm, back into the air where he vanished with a flash.

“Did you see anything?” Hooch was asking.

_Four people hidden from my sight…_

Setsuna shook her head to clear it. At least Fawkes could confirm the number, though it was higher than she’d hoped. Had the smoke snuffing out the visions been Fawkes? _Or the potion still keeping me from what Lestrange and that Wizard don’t want me to see._

“Why you look as though you were in a trance there…” Slughorn was saying. He put his hand over hers.

“Sorry,” she said, pulling her hand away from his and grabbing her wine glass. She took a large sip of it, pushing to the potion to the back of her mind.

There’d been something a bit more pressing.

“The Board’s going to re-permit the Hogsmeade visits,” she said, and heard gasps from the professors within hearing distance. She looked over at Dumbledore. He was tucking away the letter _from the Board_ with a frown on his face. It only deepened when Minerva leaned in and whispered to him what Setsuna had just seen.

“ _When?_ ” Hooch was saying.

Setsuna looked off and too the left. _When is this happening?_

January 9th. In two days. _And the next Hogsmeade weekend?_

Two weeks away…

~ _SMH~_

Dumbledore was gone from Hogwarts for half the day on January 9th and that evening called the staff to an emergency meeting. He confirmed everything Setsuna had seen.

“They’ve been assured by some ‘intelligence,’” Dumbledore said to all the staff crowded into his office, “That Hogsmeade is not a target of Voldemort or any factions that support him.” He looked to Severus.

The Defence Professor shook his head. “There’s been no _discussion_ of it,” he said. “But if they all believe Ignatius Nott that so many muggleborn students out in public are going to be ignored, then they are either confunded…” His lip curled. “Or they have been persuaded by money or otherwise.”

“Well there’s a solution inn’t there?” Hagrid offered. “We don’ have ta send ‘em just cause the Board’s given permission.”

“It was more than permission,” Dumbledore said. “I have been… strongly encouraged to allow Hogsmeade visits to go ahead. And if I am found to be disobeying the wishes of the Board of Governors… then they are at liberty to replace me.”

Many of the newer staff gasped. Dumbledore nodded to Mcgonagall. “And unfortunately they’re under no obligation to promote you to my position.” He looked back at all of them. “A representative from the Board will be making an announcement Monday morning, and they are not requiring updates to permission slips.”

“Well that's hardly enough time for the parents to learn about it!” Sprout exclaimed. “Unless it’s mentioned in the _Prophet_ , which I don’t suppose it will be.”

“And if _we_ send notifications then that will seem insubordinate,” Snape added.

“Then we hold the visits.” McGonagall said. “We speak to our students ourselves. _Hope_ that they will be smart and choose to remain here, and we request additional security from the ministry.”

“If we don’t get that,” Flitwick said. “I don’t think we have the resources to guard the village ourselves.”

“Indeed,” Dumbledore mused. “Perhaps it is a moment to consider private security measures.” He tapped his chin. “I will see who is available.”

“I’ll reach out to my contacts as well,” Setsuna said. Most of the senshi at least would be readily at hand to defend a Hogsmeade visit.

“Let’s all reconvene Sunday with strategies,” Dumbledore said. “Thank you all,”

The staff were clamouring to speak with each other as they filed out of Dumbledore’s office, only the Heads of House lingering behind.

“Who’d have ever thought,” Slughorn was saying as they emerged from the staircase and out onto the second floor corridor. “I don’t know what private security firm has the magic to guard a whole village, not one that seeped in so much magic especially. And from what I’ve heard out of the Auror office, they’re quite strapped recently.”

“Are they?” she murmured, eyes on her shoes and the flickering shadows cast by the hallway lamps.

“Too much to hope none of the students will be interested of course.”

“Plenty of them will go,” she said. She’d already checked. It clearly didn’t matter very much the original reasoning behind cancelling the Hogsmeade trips. Most of these students had been cooped up in the castle all winter, discouraged from even wandering around the grounds. That was more than enough reason to the teenagers to bung the safety concerns and hop onto the carriages.

Everyone from the Death Eaters children to many of the third year muggleborns would be going in two weekends’ time. She’d put the estimate to Dumbledore at over three hundred students…

“I presume the private security you’ve mentioned are the same who thwarted so many attacks on New Years Eve?”

Setsuna nodded. New Years. _Before_ the locket had been stolen from under their noses. She thought of Kreacher, whose body had turned up across the street from Grimmauld days later, calling cards from Lestrange had been grafittied all over Claremont square.

And why hadn’t she _seen_ what Kreacher’d intended to do? Why did everything involving Bellatrix Lestrange have to end in a void of _nothing_?

“And you’ll be joining that security force? If I had to guess? That’s quite a lot of danger to put yourself in…”

She nodded again, still hardly listening. _I can’t even guess at her anymore, she’s so far from the course the Time Sands had laid out before this year. That damn potion…_

If Fawkes was correct. There were _four_ people out of her sight. The Wizard-in-White, Lestrange. Malfoy. _Who else?_

_If they do plan an attack on Hogsmeade, I may never have a hint of it._

_And the Board will let three hundred of the students go regardless?_

_I can’t have that. I need…_

“Setsuna?” She jumped as Slughorn stopped her with a hand on her arm. They’d reached his door. “You know… if there is _anything_ , I could do to assist you.”

 _I need help_.

“Sorry…” she crossed her arms. “There is… something.”

She looked out through the windows onto the dark grounds below. And the darker sky...

She didn’t like trusting _anyone_ at the moment.

_But I can’t afford not to._

“I… do have methods of seeing the future that are… outside the divination norm.” She turned back towards him. “And there is a potion some of the Death Eaters have developed that blocks my sight.”

Slughorn cocked his head to the side and adjusted his glasses. “ _Really?”_

She nodded. “I suspected at first it might come from Japan. But there’s no dark magic remotely similar. And we’ve scoured most of Durmstrange and Hogwarts library collections as well.”

“And nothing. _Really?”_ Slughorn stroked his chin. “And Severus was no help? He’s better versed in dark magic than I.”

“He’s as baffled as I am.”

“Hmm…” Slughorn mused. “Well… I can’t promise anything… but I couldn’t promise anything when I published the Wolfsbane research either, and _that_ turned out quite successful.” He smiled cheerily at her. “For you, I’ll look into it.”

He bid her goodnight and closed his door. She carried on down the hall and to the left towards her own rooms.

Another person who now knew there was a way to block her powers…

She stopped in front of a long row of windows that looked out on the lake. The frozen surface was pitch black save for the pinpricks of light given off by the many castle windows.

She rested her forehead on the cool glass and sighed, watching her breath cloud it.

 _Who else is going to learn about this from him?_ Setsuna thought. At the moment, it was perhaps three people. Other experts he would tap for counsel. _That could have been a terribly foolish move._

Soft footsteps from the direction of Dumbledore’s office startled her. She turned.

She recognized him from the brightly lit, pale face that stood out against the black robes and hair, which both blended in with the shadowy corridor.

“Severus?” she whispered. His rooms were down in the dungeons. And he had not had any meetings of late to pass on information from.

“I’m glad I caught you,” he said as he reached her. “I assume that you and your like will be playing a large role in Hogsmeade’s security forces?”

She nodded. The aurors and the Order would have very few to spare even combining forces.

“As I thought.” He clasped his hands before him. “I participated in several attacks on Hogsmeade and other villages during the first war.” He rubbed his left arm. “Many led by Lestrange. If you have time, I wish to discuss some of the tactics used. It may lend you some… foresight on the matter.”

She squared her shoulders and nodded. If she could not _see_ Lestrange’s plans this would be the next best thing. “I have plenty of time,” she said, walking to the portrait over her door and giving it the password. “We can discuss it over tea.”

_~SMH~_

The second weekend in January, when the post-holiday sale was finally tapering off on Diagon Alley, Morgana Avery was with Michiru Kaioh in the basement of the twins’ shop. Boxes, crates, and paint tins had all been pushed aside to give them a workspace, and Fred and George had been barred from joining this practice session.

 _“We’re past construction efforts,”_ Morgana’d told Fred when he’d said he needed to work on his Occlumency shields too. _“The only way Michiru or I improves ours at this point is to test them.”_

“Are we all set?” Michiru asked as Morgana cast a final cushioning charm along the brick wall.

“Just about.”

“Good,” Michiru said, tying up her hair. She’d already cast her cloak aside and rolled up her sleeves. She smirked at Morgana. “Don’t go easy on my please.”

“Wasn’t gonna,” Morgana said, walking into the opposite corner of the room. She pushed up her own sleeves “Ready?”

Michiru nodded. And her aqua eyes locked on Morgana’s in a hard and determined glare.

Morgana whipped her wand out. “ _Legilimens.”_

Magic crackled in the air between them, and Morgana felt the magic pulling her forwards, She dove into Michiru’s mind. Breaching it felt like plunging into an icy sea. Immediately after, she slammed into a very solid shield. Morgana reeled back, seeking a way in.

But her first good look at this Occlumency shield nearly broke her concentration. Morgana gaped, looking all around her to take in the sheer scope of the image Michiru had used as her first shield.

“ _I take it this will suffice,”_ Michiru’s voice whispered.

The great planet loomed over Morgana: a large, dark blue storm right at the level of her face (so close it might have swallowed her). The rest of the planet’s endless blue spanned out in every direction, curving into the darkness of space.

“Yeah,” Morgana muttered, trying to center herself. Losing concentration this quickly would do her no good. “Yeah this’ll probably throw out most casual Legilimencies…” She clenched her fists. “But not me.” There had to be a way through…

Meteorites got through planets all the time. So perhaps she ought to treat this like the barrier at Kings Cross.

 _Take it at a bit of a run,_ she thought, closing her eyes, imagining herself as such a meteor. She rushed the shield…

And tumbled forwards, tripping and falling on something as unforgiving as steel. She rolled across it, until her back hit a raised edge.  
“Ow.” Morgana gritted her teeth as the pain broke her concentration, cursing her distaste and lack of practice at Legilimency. _Keep it together._

No one who’d been practicing Occlumency for barely five months was going to throw her out that easily.

“ _Legilimens,”_ she muttered again as she rolled onto her back, redoing the spell to re-center her concentration.

She squinted her eyes open, startled to see a pair of gleaming white boots

“ _Need a hand?”_ Michiru chuckled.

No… _not Michiru_ , Morgana thought, taking the white-gloved hand that was extended to her. She kept a wary eye on the familiar trident as Sailor Neptune pulled her to her feet.

“You’re not supposed to _help_ me read your mind.”

“ _Yes well,”_ Neptune said. “ _If you fail too quickly you won’t be able to assess my shields’ complexity.”_ She flipped her hair, and winked at Morgana. “ _And don’t assume I am not part of these defenses.”_

Morgana stiffened. _That_ had not occurred to her. You couldn’t make yourself part of your Occlumency shields.

 _Then again…_ perhaps Michiru’s alter ego _was_ a different person. Morgana took another step back from the senshi, feeling a headache beginning to pound at the back of her head: no doubt Michiru’s magic trying hard to throw her out.

Michiru would manage in due course. In the meantime she would not fall for any tricks from this spectre of her friend. Not before she’d determined how well Michiru’d hidden her secrets.

Morgana kept one eye on Neptune as she stepped away, towards the center of the hard, flat thing she’d fallen on. Her feet clacked across the surface, which, Morgana raised her eyebrows, was reflective. She could see her own face staring back at her, alongside a dark background dotted with pinpricks of light...

The mirror she stood on spanned several feet across and several more feet long: an oval set in a golden frame with a handle that stretched out into the darkness.

 _Semi-darkness_. Morgana at once forgot her headache and even forgot to pay attention to Neptune as she stared around in wonder…

There was a bright circle of white light in the distance, making the frame of the mirror gleam as it shone on it. Beyond that, above it, and behind her were more lights: white, yellow, blue, and red all glittering in the dark.

Some, closer ones, did not glitter: not the grey point so close to the sun, nor the orange crescent some distance beyond it. There were five others that did not glitter, each a different coloured crescent lit up by the distant sunlight. Morgana gaped at the middle one with the wide iridescent rings and then at a closer planet, in the center of the array, that was a solid blue green. She stared longest at the distant, deep blue crescent, so far away… like a tiny gem.

“ _Beautiful isn’t it,”_ the spectre of Neptune was so close she made Morgana jump and scramble away. She thrust her wand hand out, obviously wand-less here, expecting to meet the pointed end of the trident.

But evidently, Michiru was not putting very much effort into her side of their training, for Sailor Neptune stood calmly at her side, turning her trident casually in her right hand.

“ _There’s no secrets hiding here,”_ the Sailor offered with a smirk. “ _Looking is simply distracting you.”_

 _Oh Damnit._ Morgana frowned as her headache spiked. She thought of something else. “It must take a lot of magic to imagine all of…” all of this. Her eyes widened. All of this _should_ have been too difficult for any Occlumens to think up and _maintain._ Not unless they’d seen it many times. Not unless…“This is _real!”_ Morgana whispered.

Sailor Neptune nodded, “Indeed.” She walked to the edge of her mirror and Morgana followed, watching as the senshi swept her trident out across the vast expanse of the Solar System, ending by pointing it down over the Mirror’s edge. Morgana looked...

Below them was the planet from Michiru’s first shield: it’s northern pole a calm expanse of pearl white clouds slowly spinning round a deep blue eye…

 _“This is the view from Triton Castle,”_ Neptune explained. “ _More of a battlement really,”_

 _“_ You… you must have stood here a lot… to visualise it like this.”

“ _Years at a time,”_ Neptune whispered. She pointed off to the left, where one of the largest planets was.

 _No…_ Morgana squinted. Not the _largest,_ if her guess at the identity of the peach coloured world was correct. But it was certainly the _closest._ Around it was one large moon – half its size, and four much smaller ones spinning round it…

“ _Pluto’s orbit cuts across my own,”_ Neptune explained. “ _Which means oft enough, I was tasked with being our first line of defence.”_

“And with watching over them all,” Morgana guessed.

Sailor Neptune hung her head. “ _I was meant to direct my gaze outwards.”_ She looked up with a slight smile on the eight other worlds. “ _But I couldn’t help turning towards them.”_

Morgana nodded, continuing to take in the view from the edge of the Solar System, aware that she was wasting time, and _a lot_ magic, and not quite caring.

“ _You’re not doing a very good job finding my secrets,”_ Neptune murmured.

Morgana winced, and her headache spiked again. No, she decidedly wasn’t. She turned around and looked at the face of the mirror they were standing on. “Too obvious,” she murmured. She bet the mirror was a trick – to show her only those things Michiru wanted her to see.

Perhaps the solar bodies acted like keys or doors. She turned her gaze first on the sun…

And got a _burning_ lance of pain through her skull for the effort.

“ _Not there,”_ Neptune said, sounding quite bored.

Morgana made a face at the senshi and tried directing her legilimency at the large, blue ice-giant in the center of the array.

But trying Uranus only got her a sound like a tornado in her ears, and a worse headache.

“ _I’m not that predictable,”_

“ _Pluto then,”_ Morgana muttered

But the key to where Michiru had hidden her secrets was not within Pluto either, nor Saturn, nor the far off Earth, nor even the strangely bright dot that was the Moon…

By the end of her search of the planets, Morgana was on her knees at the edge of the Aqua Mirror, rubbing a hand over her face and berating herself for having spent so much time and energy gaping at this dratted mindscape. “You win,” she muttered. “You might even give Voldemort trouble,”

“ _Then we’re done here,”_ Neptune chuckled above her.

Morgana glared up at her. “Alright then at least tell me where you’ve hidden everything.”

Neptune smirked and turned around. “ _I thought I mentioned.”_ She pointed her trident. “ _It was my duty to look outwards.”_

Morgana dragged her head around to look and groaned.

“ _I know our neighbour stars even better than our own.”_

The space on this side was filled with those: millions of miniscule points of light painted over the darkness.

The trident was tracing a path between several of them. Morgana recognized the constellation. “Hydra.”

“ _He reminded me of our sea monsters,”_ Neptune smiled. “ _Or hadn’t you wondered where my patronus came from?”_

Her patronus. The sea dragon. _And her animagus_ , an amphibious snake. Morgana flushed. She was an idiot. Michiru was better at Slytherin trickery than her. She clutched her head and staggered to her feet, muttering: “ _Legilimens, Legilimens…”_ It was still her job to judge how well Michiru could hide her secrets.

“ _And your first guess was correct,”_ Sailor Neptune whispered as she directed her attention towards the distant constellation. “ _I was not a mere decoration.”_

There was a whistle beside her – wood and metal cutting through air. And then the sharp, _thwack_ of the trident colliding with her ribs, knocking her off the mirror’s edge and sending her tumbling down into the dark abyss at the center of Neptune’s polar storm…

Morgana gasped and blinked, seeing the basement walls blurring past a moment before her body slammed hard into brick and mortar, knocking the wind out of her as she slumped into a disarray of storage boxes.

_Ouch…_

Heels clacked across the basement floor, and for a split second, her head spinning, Morgana saw white boots and white gloves and solemn eyes that made her think of the wall of a tsunami…

Then she blinked again. White boots became prim, black heels. The short aqua skirt became slant-cut purple robes. And the hand that was extended down to her was adorned not by a glove, but by single ring around the ring finger. It was just Michiru, Morgana thought as she accepted her hand and stumbled to her feet. She shivered. Michiru’s eyes and Neptune’s were still the same.

“That may have been overkill on my part at the end there,” Michiru said. If she had a headache from that magic, it was impossible to tell.

Morgana certainly did. She panted and rubbed her forehead as the room came into focus. “No, overkill is good.” She winced. “Don’t bother showing me around next time, just throw me out.”

Michiru chuckled. “Will do,” she tilted her head. “You really think that would be enough against someone like Voldemort.”

Morgana bit her lip. “He’s the most accomplished Legilimens in the world.” She looked down at her wand hand. “I don’t have much reference to give you… I asked Professor Snape right after my father got out of Azkaban if mine would do.” She shook her head. “ _He_ said the best I could do was lie and pray Voldemort was in the mood to believe it… and that I’d have no luck if he were angry…” She shuddered. “There’s a whole ward in Mungos of people he legilimized while angry.” She looked at Michiru. “Yours are as complicated as mine, and more distracting… So you might fair about the same.”

“Noted,” Michiru said, and checked the time. It’d gone far past the hour they’d allotted for this. “Let’s wrap up for now,” she said, leading the way towards the basement stairs. “I really hope you’ve all expanded your tea selection.”

They took their tea in the small attic apartment the twins had above the shop. It had only one real (orange) armchair and they were too tired to conjure or transfigure anything, so Morgana and Michiru made due with sinking down onto the floor in front of that armchair, and reclining against it. They sipped their tea, laced with firewhiskey, as the sound of the evening radio show crackled out of the twins old wizarding wireless.

“You asked Snape to test your Occlumency after the Azkaban escape,” Michiru murmured when they were halfway through with their tea. “Is your father a Legilimens?”

“No,” Morgana shook her head.

“Then,” Michiru turned her head to look more closely at Morgana. “Did you think you’d have to join?”

“Still do,” Morgana whispered, staring into her tea. “Snape helped me learn how to lie a bit better to a Legilimens… but he still said all I could do was lock my secrets up as best as I could and give Voldemort enough of what he wanted that he’d believe whatever lies I threw into the mix.” She stirred her tea and flicked her eyes to Michiru. “Whatever tricks your mirror was set up for are going to be too obvious.” She sipped her tea. “Snape also said never to let a Legilimens like Voldemort touch you. Even he has trouble maintaining his Occlumency when Voldemort does that. Snape said he could read a person like a book.”

Michiru nodded, she’d read as much herself. “Do you think you’ll have to face him?”

“I’m not going to discount the possibility,” Morgana said, and looked around to be sure the twins hadn’t come up from the shop yet. “My mother’s been sending me letters,” she whispered. “And my father… they still think I’m under a love potion.”

“And you’re maintaining the ruse,” Michiru guessed.

Morgana nodded. “I’ve been… sending replies… pretending I’m gathering information, pretending I’m trying to make an antidote all that…” She set her teacup down in her lap. “I thought they’d leave the shop alone if they thought I were spying or… or planning an escape.”

“Well that strategy seems to be working? I haven’t heard of an attack on this part of Diagon in a while.”

“Mhmm.” Morgana sighed. “Fred doesn’t know.” She confided. “He asked me after my father showed up whether I’d ever lie to him, and I said no.” She shook her head. “So he hasn’t asked about it since.”

“Smart man, knows when you need your secrets.” Michiru squeezed her shoulder. “Let’s practice your shields next week.”

“Saturday again?”

“Make it Sunday this time,” Michiru said. “All of us have some business to attend to…”

 _Order business_ , Morgana shook her head. She wished her friends would try a little harder to keep their work for the Order a secret. There was a reason she hadn’t joined after all. The daughter of two Death Eaters, to her mind, was too much of a vulnerability to know that many secrets…

“Speaking of that,” Michiru said. Michiru was only slightly better than Fred at keeping the Order out of conversation. Morgana turned to her. She was holding out the Aqua Mirror. “Rei and I have been looking into what dangers might present themselves at Hogsmeade. We keep seeing this.”

Morgana squinted in the mirror. Dirt, detritus, worms and bugs were all pooling together on the ground, growing up into a human figure with long, sharp nails and a gaping mouth. “A golem?” She frowned. That wasn’t a dark spell, but it was a complicated one.

“I was hoping you could tell me about them.”

~ _SMH_ ~

For having only two weeks to prepare for the Hogsmeade weekend, those war minded at Hogwarts certainly did an admirable job. Flitwick eschewed the normal itinerary of the duelling club in favour of hour-long mock battles with rules so broad he requested Mme. Pomfrey be on hand and nominated several of the younger club members as medics, tasked with dragging downed combatants out of the fray. The prefects from Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and Ravenclaw all met with their Heads of Houses and worked out a patrol of Hogsmeade that would cover all the grounds from the highland cliffs to the train station. And the D.A. gathered for the first time all year for four meetings over the two week time span, during which they drilled every even semi-useful spell Hermione, Ron, and Harry could think up.

The night before the Hogsmeade trip, the sixth year senshi and their friends all met in Setsuna’s rooms to discuss the last minute details.

“It _looks_ like a peaceful day,” Setsuna told them all. “But that clearly only means it is Lestrange or the Wizard that is planning something.”

“Or Malfoy,” Harry muttered. He saw Hermione roll her eyes and sank back further into the couch, wishing Hotaru were old enough to attend Hogsmeade. _She_ at least agreed Malfoy was a direct threat. Harry shook his head. Hermione would just have some comment about his judgement being on par with a thirteen-year-old’s.

Harry could imagine the argument.

“ _She has a glaive, Hermione. A Glaive.”_

_“What does that mean, that she is suddenly the authority on everything. What if I take the axe from that suit of armour over there? Will you listen to me about the Prince then?”_

Hermione brought the Prince into everything. Especially now that he was copying all the spells down on another parchment.

Harry snapped back to attention when Professor Meioh waved her wand, turning her coffee table into a map of Hogsmeade village.

“I’ve spoken with Professor Snape,” she was saying, “And according to him, _these_ are some of the places Death Eaters attacked in the first war…”

 _Need to pack the cloak tomorrow,_ Harry thought, debating which entry point he would linger by to attack the Death Eaters tomorrow. The alley next to Zonko’s looked promising…

The next morning though, he wound up not lingering beside Zonko’s shop-front, but atop its roof, sharing the invisibility cloak with Jadeite. It was not the best fit: they kept having to pin the cloak down due to the wind, and the edge of Gryffindor’s sword brushed dangerously close to Harry’s arm,

But Zonko’s was three stories high, which put it on par with Three Broomsticks in terms of vantage points. Furthermore, it occupied the opposite half of the village. And there was just enough room by the chimney for the two of them to balance on the steep roof.

“Any minute now,” Jadeite whispered as the clock in the village square chimed 11:00, marking their first hour atop the roof. The foot traffic would probably pick up as lunch-time neared.

But eleven turned into twelve, twelve into one; the sun sank lower and lower in the sky.

And no attack came. By five o’clock, when the carriages rolled up to usher the students back to school, Harry had frostbite on his fingers and a deep regret that they had not abandoned Zonko’s in time to grab a butterbeer.

“Maybe they want to catch us off guard,” Ginny offered, her hands tucked under her arms as she and Harry trudged back to the carriages. “You know, let the visits get really popular again _and then_ attack one.” She huffed. “Maybe once the snow won’t freeze them to death.”

Harry chuckled despite his sour mood. “Maybe.” He looked over the trees at the top of the astronomy tower. “Thought lots of people showed up today though.”

“Idiots,” Ginny said. “Did you see the fourth years loitering behind the Hogshead? Don’t they know they’re the first ones getting picked off? I almost hexed them just to teach ‘em a lesson.”

There was a hold up around the carriages as everyone clamoured to get one with their friends, so Ginny and Harry hung back and watched the crowds, waiting for them to thin out.

“You know who’s not here,” Ginny whispered. “Malfoy and Nott.”

Harry had noticed. He hadn’t brought it up. He’d only get an earful from Hermione.

“Have you noticed Nott’s been a bit twitchy since we got back?”

“And Malfoy’s been twitchier than normal,” Harry muttered.

“Yeah… I think you and Hotaru are right, I think they do have a new mission. Pansy was here today. And Crabbe and Goyle. So why would they stay behind?”

“Yeah,” Harry said. “And you know what – there really were a lot of people out today. Including the Professors.”

“Well all of them were keeping watch.”

“Exactly,” Harry said. “So that means there’s a lot less people watching the castle.”

Ginny’s eyes widened. “You don’t think anyone’s gonna attack Hogsmeade,” she whispered. “You think the village trips are a diversion?”

“Could be,” Harry said, betting not even Hermione would have anything to detract from this theory. He scanned around. They ought to tell Professor Meioh. “Come on,” he said once he’d found her, and grabbed Ginny’s hand as he moved towards the crowd.

~ _SMH_ ~

Setsuna could at least confirm for Harry and Hotaru that there was a _possibility_ that Voldemort had given Nott and Malfoy a new mission, though she was at a loss as to what it might be.

Otherwise, Hogsmeade having been a bust, meant that January ended on a bitter note that had nothing to do with the sharp winds that whipped around the castles towers. Especially for Setsuna, who had followed her instincts and thrown herself into Hogsmeade’s defence, only to see everything about the day go exactly as normal.

“It was excellently planned though,” Ami told her when she caught Setsuna in the hall the first Sunday in February, when she’d been stewing over it for a week. “And it’s bound to be a target at some point. Not attacking now could be a simple attempt to create a false sense of security.”

Setsuna sighed. That would certainly prove true. The number of students piling into the carriages was likely to double for the February trip, which was going to fall on Valentines’ weekend. And the number of Professors eager to volunteer their time to guard that trip was going to drop off. “We’ll have to count that and everything else as a possibility,” Setsuna said as they leaned against the windowsill overlooking the largest courtyard. “Given that I can’t _see_.”

_Lestrange, the Wizard, Malfoy…_

Setsuna furrowed her brows. She still hadn’t a clue about the fourth. It couldn’t be Nott. His timeline resembled those people who took orders from Lestrange, rather than the woman’s herself. And the fourth person (thankfully) was not Voldemort, though the fact that it wasn’t had made Dumbledore go quite pensive over the state of the Dark Lord’s relationship with Lestrange.

Lestrange who had stolen their horcrux. Murdered Mundungus. Murdered Kreacher, and now failed to attack Hogsmeade, defying not just Setsuna’s powers, but her strategic instincts.

She shook her head. Ami had been saying something. “Sorry,” Setsuna said. “You were looking in the library... for something?”

“Yes!” Ami nodded. “Megumi and I’ve been digging a little more into magical theory – it’s fascinating stuff. And it got me thinking about that potion that’s eluding you.” She lowered her voice as a group of students ambled past. “You’ve been looking up all sorts of dark magic because this potion’s obstructing your powers… but I think you’re looking at it from the wrong perspective.”

Setsuna raised her eyebrows. “How so?”

“Well – if it was intended to obstruct your powers than I think, by the rules of dark magic _you_ would have to drink the potion.”

She paused, biting her lip and assessing Setsuna as if wondering if perhaps that could be a possibility. “You’re not…”

“That would be very unlikely,” Setsuna said. “And I believe it is effecting Megumi too, which I have been chalking up to an unintended consequence.”

“Right,” Ami nodded. “No one would have thought to block her powers.” She sighed in relief. “Anyways, as you’re not the one _drinking_ this potion, then it’s not intended to obstruct your powers.”

Setsuna frowned. “If that isn’t the intention…”

“It’s the result, sure,” Ami insisted. “But not what the person who’s creating the potion is _willing_ it do.”

“And what would be the intention?”

“Protection,” Ami said. “The potion protects the drinker from your powers. And protection is _light_ magic.” She reached into her bag and took out a bit of parchment. “I didn't find a potion that could do it, but I think there’s enough research that we could guess _how_ it’s made.”

“And we could track the ingredients,” Setsuna murmured, taking the parchment. It was a list of neatly printed book titles.

“Once we had that theory I copied down all the titles listed in the reference section,” Ami said. “I’d have done more, but, well… there was class at nine.”

“I can take it from here,” Setsuna promised, considering the list. “Was there anything about protective potions that stood out?”

“Only that they’re not all that popular,” Ami said, as they resumed their walk down the hall. “I did find that they all shared at least a few ingredients…”

~ _SMH_ ~

That Monday evening, like many evenings, the senshi were scattered across the castle. Setsuna locked herself away in her study, diving into Ami’s long awaited lead on her potions ills. Ami, Megumi, Chibiusa, and Hotaru were taking a turn guarding the Room of Requirement to prevent Malfoy from working on his project, and were experimenting with the limitations of the rooms abilities. Makoto was tied up leading the first Hufflepuff Quidditch practice of the term. And Mina was entertaining Akira, Sora and half of the Gryffindor common room with her own twist on a Gobbestones tournament, with Rei lingering a safe distance away in the self-appointed role of “supervision.”

And that particular evening, Usagi was outside the castle, her homework undone and cast aside on one of the common room chairs. For with the tension over the Hogsmeade weekend past, she was finally getting around to something she’d been looking forward to since Christmas.

“It was fun to see you teaching all the third years those spells last week,” she said to Neville as they edged along the south side of the castle on an evening stroll. “You looked a lot more confident than when you were tutoring the first years last term.”

“I felt a bit more confident too,” Neville confided, tucking his cloak around her as a gust of wind blew past.

Usagi grasped it and grabbed Neville’s hand in hers. “You could be a teacher you know.”

“I suppose I could, yeah,” Neville chuckled. “I always thought I wasn’t bright enough before.”

“You’re more than bright enough,” Usagi retorted, and Neville felt his cheeks turning a bit pink.

“Thanks…” their feet crunched in tandem across the ice-crusted snow, linked hands swinging between them. “It makes me feel good, teaching people,” Neville told Usagi. “I like knowing they could defend themselves, even if I can’t.”

“What do you mean?” Usagi asked, craning her neck to look up at his face. His eyes, which had been staring at their linked hands caught hers and their feet stumbled to a halt in the snow.

“I mean…”

A chill wind cut off his response as it whipped round the north tower and buffeted them. Neville darted to the wall, tugging Usagi along. She tripped on the snow and fell against his chest with a shriek. They squeezed each other until the wind had stilled.

Hesitantly, Usagi lifted her head and stuck out her right boot. No breeze tugged at the hem of her cloak. “Phew!” She laughed and Neville grinned at her as they resumed their walk. He stuck his arm out slightly and was filled with warmth went Usagi immediately tucked into his side and linked her arms through his. She leaned her head on his shoulder. “So, why can the first years defend themselves better than you?” she asked.

“Um..” He scrambled to recall what he’d said just a few moments ago, his attention caught up in her head on his shoulder. He fidgeted. “Yeah, um…”

“This okay?” she wondered.

"Yeah, I-I like it... I just… hope I don’t trip you."

"You won't," Usagi said. "I'm not that clumsy." She flexed one of her hands, trying to bury her fingers in the loose fabric of his cloak.

Her knuckles were red.

"Here," Neville said, covering her hand with his as they walked slowly along, moonlight glittering across the frozen grounds.

Usagi smiled wider. "You're sweet." She sighed, squeezing his arm. "Now... why couldn't you defend your self in a fight?"

Neville flushed. "Cuz... well I'm not good at thinking on my feet. Not like Harry is. I thought with the DA last year, I'd get it, you know. But... but at the Ministry, I just…"

"Froze," Usagi guessed.

"Yeah." Neville sighed, releasing a large cloud of his breath into the January air. He scuffed his feet in the snow as they walked.

Usagi squeezed his arm again.

"I only remembered how to cast anything when Dolohov found us... he hit Hermione, and I think I must have cast something. Cause next thing I knew my wand was up and he'd been knocked into the brain tank. Cracked it real good." He looked up. "Course, could've been Jupiter or Mercury."

"I don’t think so." Usagi smiled. "I bet it was you who cast."

"But I don't remember."

"Well there's lots of fights that I barely remember," Usagi argued. "I mean... I'm not good at thinking on my feet either. Without Luna around in the beginning, I was a sitting duck." she smiled a little. "I remember every time I froze. The times I didn't... those are the blur." she chuckled. "Rei would say maybe I just move too fast for my brain to keep up."

"That's not nice."

"I know right." Usagi shook her head. "She used to tease me like that before. I don't think she would now.” Then she grinned. "Unless I tease her first."

"Sounds like Ron and Hermione."

"Yeah," Usagi agreed. And paled. "Wait - no. Not like that... not exactly like that."

"Why not?"

"Cause… Cause they're like two arguments from jumping each other in the common room," Usagi exploded. "And Rei and I are _NOT_ like that."

"Of-of course not."

"And I mean, I'm dating you."

"Yeah," Neville stopped then, looking down at Usagi whilst she looked up at him. His pink face had turned a deep red, especially his nose, from the cold. "We're… _dating?_ "

Usagi's breath caught as she stared up into his blue eyes, wide and framed by raised, heavy brows, and eyelashes that were dusted with frost...

"Yeah... dating." Usagi breathed. She released his arm.

"Good… cause I really like you."

"I know," Usagi whispered, putting her hand on his scarf as he held her upper arm. "I really like you." She rose up on her toes, getting quite close to him.

Neville stood more frozen that the snow. "H-how'd you learn to think on your feet?" he stammered as she drew close. Her breath tickled his nose.

She tugged his scarf, rising up on her toes. "You... practice not thinking. Just... acting."

"Just acting."

"Yeah."

"Just - go for it."

"Yea...mhhh!" Usagi's reply was cut off as Neville leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. She pulled the knot out of his scarf as she deepened their kiss, and when she wobbled on her toes, his arm slipped behind her back to catch her.

They might have kissed far longer if another burst of the highland wind hadn't howled through the turrets on the towers and between the greenhouses and knocked them both off balance. They were blown apart by the wind, gasping and slipping on the snow as they swung their hands out, fumbling to clasp each other’s.

When their hands finally clasped, they threaded their fingers together, Neville caught Usagi's sparkling eyes and chuckled. She broke into peels of laughter, bending over as she pulled him up from where he'd slipped to his knees in the snow.

"Maybe we should cut this short," he offered, rubbing the back of his neck. "If we walk a little further there's a back way down to the kitchens."

"How do you know that," She asked, winking at him as they hurried along, before the next gust of wind could hit them. "Been sneaking out a lot over the years?"

"N-not really," Neville said. "Nothing that impressive." She squeezed his hand though, and he had the feeling it wouldn't matter to her if he'd gone on daring jaunts through the castle's secret passages or not. So he told her the truth. "When I was younger, I kept on losing Trevor... and my first friend ended up being one of the house elves, Polly. Cause she'd always be the one returning him to the dorm... she showed me the back way to the kitchens once when I missed curfew trying to find him and couldn't remember the spell to unlock the front doors."

"But you found Trevor?"

"Yeah... under my bed."

Usagi shook her head. "He sounds like more trouble than Luna."

"No," Neville protested. "No she's alright – she only gets lost when she want's too."

Usagi turned her head into his shoulder and giggled. "I meant my cat!"

"Oh." He chuckled along with her until they’d reached the small door between two of the hedges. He bent to unlock it and ushered her inside.

"You know," Usagi said as he helped her down the narrow, earthy stairs. "I'm sometimes still not good at thinking on my feet."

"Really? But... but you fight monsters and stuff all the time – you took down giants, and, and that super dementor."

"Only cause I was protecting people," she said. "Like... like when you defended Hermione from Dolohov, you didn't freeze up then. Maybe you do better when you're protecting your friends."

"That's a... maybe," Neville conceded. "But I don't want to take that bet and freeze up with people depending on me."

"I don't think you would," Usagi insisted, lowering her voice since sound echoed so much in the cellar hallways. "It's different, when you're defending people you love," she said, and Neville stared at the smile on her rosy face and the highlights in her hair from the torchlights. "When my friends need me... I can do a lot of things I'd be too panicked to manage otherwise."

"Just because you love them?"

"Yeah," she whispered, and looked up at him as he slowed to a stop in the hallway. She held his eyes, quite dark since he faced away from the torches. "Maybe," Usagi whispered. "Maybe you'd surprise yourself – if you were fighting for people you loved."

He tilted his head and squeezed her hand. "I... maybe I could for you." And then he blinked. "Uh-uh." He sputtered and stumbled back a step. He hadn’t intended to say that aloud. "I – I mean,"

"I know," Usagi tugged him back to her, stepping up onto her toes and cupping his cool cheek. She pressed their lips together again.

Neville shivered, holding tightly to her and stumbling back against the wall of the cellar. Goosebumps were prickling the back of his neck. He blinked his eyes.

Usako...

At first he thought it was the flickering torches playing tricks, but when his eyes were closed he could see a golden star watch, spinning on its chain, ticking steadily behind a cracked glass face...

He gasped as Usagi pulled away. The image vanished.

"I... um..." Neville opened and closed his mouth several times as Usagi stood giggling quietly with her free hand over her mouth. Her other hand was still clasped in his. "That was ... really good."

" _Mhmmm."_ She batted her eyes "Are you busy tomorrow night?"

"No – well, I have Mcgonagall's essay."

Usagi blanked. "Oh _... shit."_

"Haven't started it?"

"Noooooooooo, well... maybeeeeee." She gave him a pleading look. "Study date?"

"Sure." Neville grinned. "Uh..." the kitchen was a corridor away. "Want to get some - uh – cocoa before we walk back?"

"Absolutely." Usagi said. Her eyes were as bright as her smile.

They carried on down the hall, clasped hands still swinging between them, and passed an announcement board along the way. There was new sign in the middle: a pink heart with cupid figures flying all around it, and flashing text in the middle.

_HOGSMEADE VISIT - FEBRUARY 15 TH_

_Carriages leaving from the front doors at 9:15._

"Do you think it'll go smoothly like last time?" Neville asked her.

"I hope so," Usagi said and bumped his shoulder. "If there weren't a war and all we could get a real date – I’ve been _dying_ to go inside Mme. Puddifoot's!" She sniffed.

"Well... why couldn't we do that this time?" Neville asked. "They do have that window that looks out on the square." Neville smiled at her. "We could keep watch pretty good from it."

"I... no." Usagi insisted. "No it's not safe."

"It's not safe for you either, but you're still going." He squeezed her hand. "Why can't I go with you? I'll try not freeze, I promise." He lifted her hand and kissed it. "I'd have your back."

Usagi's expression softened and she sighed, moving in to kiss him again. "Maybe," she said. "As long as you promise not to jump into danger."

"I won't! That's Harry's job," Neville grinned. "Seriously, let's go to Puddifoots. D'you like chocolate?" he asked, already knowing the answer. "They have a fondue fountain special."

Her eyes lit up " _Reeeeeallly?_ "

"Yeah – it could even be my treat," he offered.

"You're so _sweet!"_

She was leaning in for another kiss when they heard the telltale scritch-scratch of Mrs. Norris claws scrapping the stone floors. They jumped apart and dashed for the kitchens. When they made it to the picture of the fruit bowl and fell through the port hole into the room of startled houseelves busy finishing the dishes, they were out of breath, red-faced, and frostbitten.

And (as Neville announced to the house-elves when they asked what had happened): "We have a date next Saturday."

~ _SMH_ ~

Harry knew Dumbledore had been very busy in December and January, and he himself had been swamped with so much work from his NEWT courses, that he had nearly convinced himself the lack of further lessons with the Headmaster was the man's own way of helping Harry manage his school work.

One way or the other, he understood why there had been no new lessons the past few months. Still, they were into February now, and each day that passed of the new month, when the sun was staying up longer in the sky, Harry found himself, each day at breakfast looking up at Dumbledore when the mail came in, bearing no new missives about special lessons.

Inevitably, at these times, he would seek out Hotaru at the Ravenclaw table, and see her eyeing the owls with a look of mild irritation, often while stabbing her fork a bit too roughly into her food. She would often catch his gaze, look up at the headmaster, and roll her eyes.

It made Harry smile, feeling a little more at ease. It was nice knowing she was restless too.

Friday the 7th, he was late to breakfast, having woken up early and decided to copy the remaining spells from the Prince's book onto his separate parchment. Hermione had sought him out when he'd been late, and caught him at it. Which was why she had tailed him all the way down to the Great Hall, nagging him the entire way.

He'd told her she was turning into Ron's mother and even that had failed to dissuade her.

"Give it a rest Hermione," he groaned as he pushed open the doors to the Great Hall.

"I won't – Ron told me you'd stopped reading that, and here I find you're copying the spells!"

"I'm not using them!" he fumed. He saw Hotaru as the Great Hall doors swung shut behind him. She nodded to him, shifting on her bench so there was space between she and Luna.

"Oh don't act like you aren't itching to try them – hey!" Hermione exclaimed when he darted away from her, heading not for Gryffindor, but for Ravenclaw. "Harry!"

"I'm gonna eat with Hotaru today."

"But... but it's the wrong house," Hermione sputtered.

Harry shrugged. The exchange students had done it often enough. He strode down the aisle between Ravenclaw and Slytherin and slid into the space Hotaru had made next to her.

Ravenclaw was a larger house than Gryffindor. And there was no other room around them, no matter how hard Hermione looked. "Well... then..."

"Say hi to Ron and Gin for me," Harry threw in, helping himself to some of the eggs Hotaru was passing to him. He set the Half-Blood Prince's book beside him on the table.

He felt quite pleased with himself, and a little bad for feeling it, when Hermione stormed off in a huff. "Thanks," he said to Hotaru, continuing to fill his plate.

She nodded, and he glanced at her, covering the Prince's book with his arm when he noticed she was studying it.

"What was that?" Hotaru asked him.

"Nothing," Harry grunted. "Look – can we just drop it?"

"I would," Hotaru said, going back to her breakfast. "But usually when you and Hermione are angry, it's not at each other." She twirled her fork around her plate. "She looks sad."

Harry looked up. Hermione had sat down at the Gryffindor table, and she was staring intently at her plate, shoulders hunched as she tapped the handle of her knife against the table. She looked up, her face appearing drawn and tired, before she caught him looking. Then her frown turned quickly to a glare.

Harry looked away.

"Why're you mad at her?" Hotaru asked.

"It's nothing," Harry insisted. "Look, she just hates being wrong."

Hotaru raised her eyebrows at him. "Why's she wrong?"

"She just is!"

"About what?"

"Just..." Harry sighed. "Can't you be on my side?"

"Sure, but not without a good reason; that'd be stupid."

Harry flushed and looked away. That... did make sense. Why did Hotaru have to be a Ravenclaw? "Fine." He lifted his arm off of the Half-Blood Prince's book and pushed it towards her. "She and I are arguing about that," he said as Hotaru picked it up and flipped it open to the last page he'd copied, book marked by the flattened parchment full of the Prince's spells. "She thinks the person who had it before me was a dark wizard. I think she's paranoid."

Hotaru lifted the parchment out of the book. "H.B.P's?"

"Half-Blood Prince, kid who last used it," Harry explained. "He wrote all those spells – I'm copying them down."

"Why're some of them starred?" Hotaru asked, scanning the list.

"You know, for useful ones: like _Sectumsempra_ there."

Hotaru raised one eyebrow and glanced at him. "Sectum is Latin for ‘cut,’" she said in a deadpan.

Harry blinked. "Well... I mean it said it was for enemies." He ran his hand through his hair. "You know Latin?"

"Not a lot – mostly just the medical stuff," Hotaru said.

"Well... fine maybe I shouldn't use that one, but there's other stuff – like this one." He pointed to another spell he'd starred. "It's for hiding."

Hotaru followed where he pointed. " _Mors...ludes_." she made a face. "I guess that's a good one."

"What's it mean?"

"Play dead... I think."

"Brilliant!" Harry grinned. "And this one. This one's for getting away."

Hotaru frowned. " _Delerio_?" she bit her lip. "I don't know that one."

"Okay... but they're not dark."

"I guess not all of them."

"Right. So Hermione is paranoid, see."

Hotaru looked like she might have replied, but a sound like a firecracker over their heads cut her off. They jerked their heads up to see Fawkes drop a burning cinder onto the table before them, and then streak off towards the head table.

"Put it out!" one of the Ravenclaw chasers shrieked as he leaned away from the flames.

"No, wait," Hotaru insisted. She and Harry both leaned over the burning cinder and threw their arms out to stop the Ravenclaws from trying to douse it in pumpkin juice.

It was not, as the others had feared, setting the tablecloth aflame. Instead the small flames and sparks were wicking outwards as the cinder unfurled, burning smaller and smaller as the flames pulled away towards the edges of what Fawkes had dropped onto the table. Soon enough, all that remained was an unblemished bit of parchment.

Harry picked it up.

 _It's been quite a long break, for us all - and high time we resumed our studies,_ Dumbledore had written. _February 10th – I hope you enjoy blood pops._

~ _SMH_ ~

On the tenth, Dumbledore took Harry and Hotaru through the Pensieve to a young man with Tom Riddle's good looks and Voldemort's dark gaze. They watched him attempt to buy Hufflepuff's Cup off Hepzibah Smith. The entire lesson, Hotaru was distracted by the cup and by the other artefacts around the room. Was Ravenclaw's diadem there amongst the clutter? And in the absence of it, was there anything there that looked like it contained a green Nephrite stone?

"I think the cup, had some stone on the bottom of it." Hotaru told Harry as they went down the stairs afterwards. "It was so dark though, and she had it upright the whole time. I didn't see the color. But it was a really strange place for a gemstone to be, unless it wasn't meant to be a decoration."

"Yeah," Harry muttered as they stepped out into the hall.

"Did you see it? It should have been pink."

"See what?"

Hotaru made a face. He wasn't even listening. "Seen the picture on the desk of Malfoy snogging a vampire."

"Yeah."

Hotaru giggled.

That made Harry stop in his tracks. He blinked. What had she said, exactly, it hadn't sounded quite right. "Hang on, _what_?"

Hotaru shook her head. "Did you see the color of the stone on the bottom of that cup?"

Harry shook his head. "Didn't even notice one." He shrugged. "Sorry... I was distracted."

"I could tell."

"It was that elf," Harry told her. "He reminded me of Kreacher."

"Oh..." Hotaru went ahead of him, walking backwards down the corridor so they could talk, face to face. "That's been hard hasn't it?"

"Should it be?" Harry asked, clenching his fists.

Kreacher was dead. His body had shown up across the street from Grimmauld just days after they had learned about the stolen locket and Mundungus murder. Harry had been trying not to care. Because Sirius didn't care. And Because Hermione cared too much, and he couldn't bring himself to feel that much sympathy for the little elf.

"I hate him," Harry confided. "I hate him... except."

Hotaru nodded. "He never was very nice."

"And he betrayed us – trusted Lestrange over us, I mean that's just nuts. And cause of him Voldemort knows we know about the Horcruxes and..."

"And he's dead."

"Yeah... that's like... That should be good riddance right? So why do I feel sad?"

"It means you're wise," Hotaru said matter-of-factly. Harry had to look away when she stared at him. Her eyes were giving him goosebumps again. They looked so dark the candlelights all around them appeared to shine right through them. "Death's always sad," Hotaru continued. "Especially Kreacher's." She hugged her glaive close. "He trusted the wrong person. That's sad."

"Yeah... and he did it for Regulus."

"That's sadder," Hotaru said. She turned back around, falling into step with him again. "Maybe you should talk to Sirius about making a memorial for him."

"Maybe," Harry cleared his throat. "But we're not mounting his head on the wall."

" _Eeeew,_ No."

They laughed, bringing a welcome lightness back to Harry's chest.

"Anyways... Sorry, I didn't notice if there was a stone on the cup."

"That's okay. I wonder where Voldemort hid that one."

"Dunno," Harry said, stopping as they reached the main stairs and leaning on the railing. "I was thinking with Gin: he gave the Diary to Mr. Malfoy... maybe he gave some of the others to his followers."

"Maybe..." Hotaru's brows furrowed. "Does that mean Lestrange could have more than one."

Harry shuddered. "Hope not." The fewer horcruxes they had to go through Lestrange to get, the better. "Would make sense though – she's important to him. I don't know how many Death Eaters he actually trusts that much." Perhaps Pettigrew. That made Harry snort.

"Do you think..." Hotaru tapped her fingers against her glaive as she thought. "He put them in important places right?"

"Yeah?"

"Well could he have hid one here?"

Harry blinked. Hard. "Here. Hogwarts here." No, he and Ginny had thought that to be ridiculous.

"Sure," Hotaru shrugged. "There's a curse one the Defence position isn't there? What if the Horcrux is doing it?"

"They'd know if there was a Horcrux in the _castle_!"

Would they though? Harry frowned. They hadn't known the entirety of his second year. No one had even known the diary was dangerous. And no one had noticed Pettigrew or Crouch when they'd infiltrated the castle either…

"Maybe it wouldn't be in the Defence classroom," Hotaru said. "But... there's lots of other places. The room of requirement, the Slytherin common room."

"The Chamber of Secrets," Harry murmured. "He opened that while he was at school here – what if he made another Horcrux back then and... and hid it?"

"Wouldn't you have noticed the last time you were down there?" Hotaru asked.

"No," Harry said. "You kidding? I didn't think anything was up with the diary back then and I _wrote_ in it, and I was also pretty distracted by the giant snake." They had broken away from the main stairs by now, headed down the hallway that had Myrtle's bathroom at the end. "It's got to be there."

They hastened along, the bathroom door was closed, but there was a fresh puddle pooling on the floor from Myrtle's antics, and that was reflecting plenty of bright light from under the door.

"Is someone in there this late?" Hotaru said, she and Harry both migrating towards the wall.

"Let's see," Harry whispered. He took the Marauders’ map out of his pocket and the two of them ducked behind a suit of armour in case whomever was in the bathroom came out while they checked.

Hotaru and Harry had their heads together as the map appeared. _"Lumos,"_ Harry whispered. They found their position quickly. And Harry had to double check the name on the dot pacing Myrtle's bathroom.

_Draco Malfoy._

He had been right. Was this Malfoy’s new mission?

"There's got to be one in there then," Harry whispered. "What if he's adding protections to it? Or needs to move it somewhere else?" He moved to close the map and Hotaru grabbed his wand hand.

"Wait." She pointed to the corridor adjacent to theirs. "Look."

Coming down the hall, from the direction of the main stairs...

_Theodore Nott._

Harry stood up. Farther down the hall the light from a _lumos_ was reflecting off the windows and the portraits, about to come round the corner. "Come on," he said, grabbing Hotaru's hand and dragging her to the end of the corridor. They darted around the corner, ducking into the boy’s bathroom right across from Myrtle's.

They listened to Nott’s footsteps rushing down the hall, nearly at a run as he approached the bathrooms, and Harry and Hotaru waited behind the boys bathroom door with their wand and glaive raised.

But as predicted, Nott did not enter their’s, rather, he stormed into the girls bathroom across the hall, the door slamming open as he did. Harry and Hotaru ducked out of the boys bathroom once Nott was gone and pressed their backs against the wall near the girls bathroom door. They heard Malfoy shout, and then Nott casting “ _Muffliato.”_

Harry watched as Hotaru shifted her glaive, twisting it so it caught the light shining out of the open doorway. Malfoy and Nott were not on the closer side of the bathroom. And from the shouting they could here through the muffling charm, Myrtles, perhaps that meant they were near her corner stall.

They needed to get inside, Harry thought, perhaps they could pass the muffling charm, and find out what Malfoy and Nott were saying…

He was trying to recall the Disillusionment charm when he felt Hotaru shift, rising to her feet.

And before he could blink, she'd rushed through the bathroom doorway, pressing herself against the small section of the stonewall that extended inside. Harry hastened to follow.

As soon as he passed the threshold, the shouting became distinct.

“ _WHAT DID YOU CALL ME!”_ Myrtle shouted

_“A mudblood, Honestly Malfoy: you’ve been chitchatting with this one, have you lost your gobstones?”_

_“I told you I haven’t said a damn word,”_

_“I WANT YOU OUT OF MY BATHROOM!”_

_“Oh Merlin – Waddiwasi!”_

Myrtle wailed, and there was a splash as the spell plunged her down a toilet.

Nott was talking again. “ _Cut the act Malfoy – I know you haven’t got barely anything done. I caught you crying to Moaning Mudblood on this.”_

_“That’s Weasley’s Ear – YOU SPIED ON ME!”_

_“Well who’s fault is it you’re too thick to put a muffling charm up. Lucky I did, or you’d have Granger and her Blood-traitor lackey down here learning all about how you’re failing your mission.”_

_“I am not failing!”_ Malfoy hissed. “ _It is stressful – I’ll have you know I have kept things under-wraps all year. And the Cabinet’s nearly there.”_

_“The Cabinet’s been nearly there since November by The Dark Lord’s recollection – And if everything you cry to Myrtle’s true, you haven’t made any progress on the other two either.”_

There was a pause.

“ _If you’re so eager to do my job, Nott. Take it,” Malfoy spat. “See if you do any better.”_

_“See, I would. I really would. Might even take a page out of your book. Would like to know how you made that Lava thing at the Quidditch match – that’d have worked if you’d prepared for Meioh’s secret auror squad always butting their noses into things.”_

Malfoy growled. “ _Like I said – take my assignment. I’ll take yours.”_

_“Mine’s classified.”_

Malfoy chuckled. “ _Not so classified – he told me all about it last time he summoned me. Said he can’t trust you to find it and keep it hidden.”_

“ _You’re bluffing!”_

_“Am not – I know where it is.”_

Harry’s eyes widened and he turned and looked at Hotaru. She nodded. “Horcrux” she mouthed.

“ _You do not!”_ Nott hissed. “ _It’s all over your face… You’re lying!”_ he spat.

They heard a crack, dust fell down from the mortar over their heads and they heard Nott grunt as he hit a sink.

“ _Fine. I don’t know,”_ Draco said. _“But that just means that you’re making even less progress on your mission than I’m making on mine. So don’t try to push me.”_

Nott swore. “ _Cut to the chase then – I’m willing to help you with the cabinet. I’ve got a brother who works on specialty stuff like this. You can take full credit. And I’ll help you with the other two jobs too.”_

 _“You can’t help me,”_ Malfoy laughed. “ _What do you want? The potion.”_

 _“Obviously,”_ Nott said.

_“Didn’t think you’d actually have to prove you need it?”_

“ _Course I need it! I can’t even look for the damn thing without Meioh or her shrimp niece knowing every move I make.”_

_“Don’t have the brains to outwit a first year?”_

_“Depulso!”_

_“Protego!”_

There was a crack. More dust fell from the mortar into their hair.

Harry wrinkled his nose.

Hotaru’s breath hitched.

“ _I’m being nice, Malfoy. You’ve got too much riding on –”_

“ _AH-CHOO!”_

The sneeze that escaped Hotaru’s nose echoed off the stonewalls and was followed immediately by scrambling feet further inside the bathroom.

“ _Conferrumino!”_ Nott shouted as Harry and Hotaru moved for the door. They slammed into it. The bottom of the door was glowing red as it was welded right to the stone floor.

Harry threw up a _protego_ just in time for Malfoy’s _diffindo_ to slam right into it and ricochet into the walls, cracking the mirror and bowl of the nearest sink.

“POTTER! TOMOE!”

“ _Expelliarmus!”_ Hotaru cried. The spell shot out of her glaive and Nott ripped the sink out of the wall to block it, hurtling it their way.

“ _REDUCTO!”_

_“IMPEDIMENTA!”_

_“PETRIFICUS TOTA-ahh!”_ Hotaru shrieked as an ascendio sent her flying into the ceiling. Harry shot a cushioning charm up, without looking as he dodged two red spells from Malfoy and Nott and sent his own stunner back at them. Hotaru threw one in on the way down. Both spells got blocked by the doors of the bathroom stalls that Nott felt perfectly free to rip off their hinges, hurling them at Harry and Hotaru.

The four dueled until Moaning Myrtle burst out of her toilet again, freed from _Waddiwasi_ and screaming bloody murder, the sound was enough to shatter a mirror and send Hotaru pitching to her knees.

That brief lapse gave Malfoy and Nott the upper hand, cornering the two of them against the wall of broken sinks adjacent to the door, and forcing Harry and Hotaru to throw up shield after shield whenever the other’s wore off.

“Hit them with energy shots, and let me stick to physical!” They heard Nott shout. “They can’t keep up spells against both for long.”

Harry panted and threw up a _Protego Maxima_ , which did nothing to stop the stones buckling under his feet. There was a whole chamber down below them that the floor could cave in and drop them into, and he bet Malfoy and Nott were only too aware…

 _We need to get out…_ Harry thought, thinking of the list of the Prince’s spells in his pocket. There was one for getting out. He’d used it the once on nothing and it hadn’t seemed to do anything, but now…

He gritted his teeth as his shield rippled under a dual assault and put his hand on Hotaru’s shoulder. “That spell for getting away,” he whispered. “The one from breakfast.”

She nodded, mouthing out the syllables.

“Ready.” He lowered his shield. And jumped up along with her as wand and glaive targeted the two Slytherins.

Malfoy screamed: “ _Crucio!”_

“ _DELERIO!”_

Their two yellow spells spiralled through the air, faster than Malfoy’s attempted _Crucio,_ and shot straight through Nott’s _protego_. They struck both Slytherins in the chest.

Draco’s _Crucio_ stuttered to a halt and vanished inches from Harry’s outstretched hand and Nott’s _protego_ flickered out as both boys eyes glazed over. Their heads bobbed towards their chests as they slumped backwards into the wall.

Harry and Hotaru stared at them, and each other, and rushed across the room.

“What did we do?” Hotaru gasped, kneeling in front of Nott as Harry shook Draco. Was he breathing? Yes. And he looked just like Lockhart after he’d obliviated himself.

"I... I..." Harry stammered. "I thought it would paralyze them or... or disarm them." He shook Malfoy again. "Malfoy!"

Malfoy looked up. "Who're you?" And then his gaze drifted lazily around the room. "Why am I here?"

Harry stared at him. And at Hotaru. "Did we obliviate them?"

 _"I don’t know_!" She held one hand up to Nott's temple, magic glowing at her fingertips. "Hang on. I'll try healing…"

Harry swallowed thickly.

" _WHAT DID YOU DO_?" Myrtle screamed, hovering right overhead _. "GET AWAY! STOP!"_

"We're trying to heal them!" Hotaru snapped.

But Myrtle was the one ghost that had never liked her, and certainly not enough to listen to her now. She wailed, flying in circles around the bathroom " _ATTACK!"_ Myrtle sobbed. " _ATTACK IN THE BATHROOM."_

"Myrtle!" Harry shouted, following her towards the sinks. "Myrtle we were just trying to escape – I didn’t know the spell would do that!"

_"ATTACK!"_

"Myrtle please!"

"Harry, it's not working!" Hotaru cried.

Harry ran back to the other side of the bathroom. Hotaru had backed away from Nott, who'd just hunched over on the ground, holding his head.

"I think I just gave him a, a"

" _A_ _headache_ ," a cold voice announced behind them.

The two gasped and whirled around, wand and glaive up, to see Severus Snape, standing in the empty doorway. The door itself had, seemingly, disintegrated.

"Yes,” Snape said, striding past them to the two Slytherins. “That does tend to be the consequence when you try to heal an _obliviation,_ Miss. Tomoe. Or did you think the staff at St. Mungos were incompetent quacks?”

"Professor Snape!" Malfoy exclaimed jovially. "Why are we here?"

Snape froze, head cocking to the side. "You know my name?"

"Yes," Draco Malfoy smiled like a little kid who'd just answered a Maths question correct on the first try. Harry hadn’t known Malfoy’s face could smile without looking smug. It unnerved him. "You're the defense teacher," Malfoy said. "At Hogwarts."

"I... am _indeed_ … and that is a recent position…" Snape mused, staring intently into Malfoy's eyes.

"He's doing magic," Hotaru whispered to Harry.

"I think its legilimency." Harry gulped. He looked up when he heard Snape gasp, and accidentally caught the professor’s glare. Harry felt a lance of pain behind his eyes and snapped them shut. "Knock it off!"

"50 points for that!" Snape hissed. "If I need to legilimize you to confirm what spell you assaulted a student with, _Potter_ , I am within just grounds!" He was suddenly looming over Harry, hand grasped too tightly to his arm. " _Where did you find it_?" Snape demanded.

"Find what!"

"Don’t play the idiot, Potter. Where did you find the book?" Harry felt the pain behind his eyes again and tried to call up his Occlumency training, to no use. Harry hadn’t practiced in months, and it showed.

" _Accio list_ ," Snape murmured. The list of the Half-Blood Prince's spells tore out of Harry's pocket. Snape crushed it in his hand, taking it and scanning the whole thing.

"They're from a book!" Harry offered. "Hermione found it in the,"

"Another 20 points for lying to me, Potter. Miss. Granger would not have found these in a library." Snape’s nostrils flared. "I do not have time to follow you. I need to clean up your mess. In the meanwhile, you are to go, retrieve your Potions book, and bring it back to my office.”

"Why do you need my book?"

Snape shook him, eyes as dark as Harry'd ever seen Hotaru's. "Do not test me."

" _Professor_?" Nott called in a fairly dreamy tone. “What’s going on?”

Snape released Harry, going to Nott and Malfoy and sitting them back against the wall. "That was nothing. I want you both to sit quietly here. I need to speak with Myrtle about something. It does not concern you.”

"Myrtle the ghost?" Malfoy slurred.

"Precisely. Be quiet." He turned to look for Myrtle and saw Harry and Hotaru still standing behind him. Snape glared. And he pointed to the door.

Harry and Hotaru turned, dashing out into the hall. They could hear Snape speaking to Myrtle.

_"Could you stop sniveling for one minute and tell me what they were doing here?"_

_"They were arguing,"_ Myrtle relayed. _"A-about missions."_

"Harry," Hotaru tugged at his arm. "We'll be in more trouble if we don’t get the book."

"Just... just a sec."

_"Nott wanted a potion."_

_"I see,"_ Snape whispered. " _Right. Theodore Nott. Listen..."_

"Harry!"

 _"You are going to forget about being in the bathroom tonight. And forget about the potion you wanted from Draco. There isn't any left. You spent this evening trying to find another way to accomplish what you need to do._ " a pause. _"I would suggest asking Draco if he could advise you... Try being collaborative."_

_"Yes, professor."_

"Harry. _Come on_!"

He reluctantly followed, picking up the pace when he heard heavy footsteps walking out of the bathroom. Nott emerged, head down, dragging his feet in the direction of the Slytherin common room. He reminded Harry of a zombie from one of Dudley's scary movies.

"Snape will be finished helping Malfoy soon and he'll want to know why you're taking so long!" Hotaru hissed.

To get the book. Harry blinked. Why did Snape care if he had it? "We've got to hide it," Harry said, turning and striding down the corridor.

"What if it's dangerous?"

"If it's dangerous," Harry said, increasing his pace to a jog. "He'd have told me why. Don’t you think?" Hotaru rushed to keep up with him. "I mean, he knows I don’t trust him very much."

"Mama Suna likes him, and he's a spy."

"Right, but... but why wouldn’t he tell me why the book was bad?"

"Cause he hates questions!"

"Well I don’t care."

"Harry!" Hotaru got in front of him. "That book could be really bad! What if that was a dark spell?"

"Then Snape would have told us outright." He jumped back when he heard the glaive whistle and saw the point glinting near his nose.

"You can’t keep the book if it really is bad," Hotaru insisted.

"Well... then why was it in a Potions cupboard, huh? And why did Snape know exactly what that spell did?"

"I don’t know, but he's on our side. He gets tortured by Voldemort and still hides secrets for us."

"I still don’t like him," Harry whispered, walking around Hotaru and her glaive.

She got in front of him again.

"Look - it's strange alright,” Harry tried to convince her. “It means Snape’s hiding something, and I don’t trust him when he's hiding something." He tried to move around the glaive again, but Hotaru moved it to follow him. He sighed. "Look I'll give it to Dumbledore, alright. But I don’t want to give it to Snape."

Hotaru thought for a moment and nodded. "Fine."

"Good. Come on."

They ran to the stairs from that point. Hotaru easily kept pace with Harry as they scrambled up seven stories, even leaping the gap between the moving stairs and sixth floor landing.

The whole of Gryffindor looked up when they burst in. Harry ignored them all, dashing up the dormitory stairs and shouldering open the door to his own.

"Harry!" the three boys currently there exclaimed, including Ron, doing homework at the window.

"Ron where's your Potions book."

"What'd you lose yours?"

"No - just where is it?"

"It's in my bag - _hey_!" Harry had dashed to Ron’s bed and upended his book bag on the covers.

"Sorry - emergency." He dumped out his own book bag on the floor and swiped up the Prince's book, tucking it and Ron's under his arm. He turned to go. There was a short figure standing in the doorway, turquoise hair catching the light from the stairwell. She was leaning in the same curious way she leaned into gossip sessions in the Quidditch locker room. "Move." Harry said to Sora Kaioh, and added as an afterthought, “or help.”

"What's going on?" she asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she let him pass.

"A lot." Harry grunted. He ran down the stairs, hearing Sora at his heels. Hotaru was standing at the bottom with her arms crossed.

"Is this a mission for Dumbledore?" Sora asked

"No," Harry snapped as he made his way to the still open portrait hole. "Hiding things from Snape."

"Oh! Better! I can help!"

"No," Hotaru said.

"Yes," Harry argued, turning to Sora and thrusting the Prince’s book at her.

"What?"

Harry's head was spinning with ideas as he stood in the hallway outside the common room holding Ron’s book close. "Go hide that in the Room of Requirement," Harry told Sora. “Somewhere I can find it later. He turned towards the stairs.

And found the glaive in his face again.

“Hold it!” Hotaru said, red faced and quite cross. “You said you’d give it to Dumbledore!”

“Did not!”

“Did so!”

“I said I’d _tell_ him.”

Sora frowned, looking between the two of them as they argued over the book.

“I said I’d tell Dumbledore,” Harry insisted again. “But first I need to hide it somewhere Snape won’t get it.” He turned back to Sora. “Hurry up. Snape might send Filch up to investigate or something.”

Hotaru almost expected the time traveler, the rambunctious tagalong who raved about her Quidditch Captain every time their parents came to visit, to jump and follow Harry’s orders.

But instead, Sora stepped closer to her, her eyes darting between the two of them. “You two… are fighting?”

“No,” Harry and Hotaru said at the same time. And promptly resumed doing just that.

“We’re going to go to Dumbledore,” Hotaru said.

“And then we never find out how Snape knows that spell!” Harry exclaimed. “He’d convince Dumbledore to let him keep the book.”

“Not if we tell him not to!” Hotaru tried to argue.

Harry gave Hotaru an even more exasperated look than he had ever given Hermione, an unnerving thing to see when he was training it on the Silence Glaive. Sora opened her mouth to tell him exactly what that weapon could do, but Harry drowned out her warning as he began to rant, pacing back and forth across the walkway.

“I have known both of them for _six_ years, Hotaru. And every time I try to say anything against Snape, Dumbledore always says the same thing.” And he began to speak in a snide, biting caricature of Dumbledore’s voice: “I trust Snape with my life, and your life, Why I love him so much I’d give him 100 points to Slytherin just for showing up today.”

“And just last month you were saying you felt bad for him,” Hotaru muttered, withdrawing the glaive and putting her hands on her hips. “Have you ever been right about Snape?”

“Yeah!”

“When?”

Harry paused, scowled, and stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Fine I’ve never been right,” he muttered. “And… and I guess I can see why Dumbledore trusts him.” He sighed. “But I hate him.”

“So you’re bias.”

“Yes – but, but _he still shouldn’t know about the book.”_ Harry said, standing up a little straighter. “And I think he’s helping Malfoy – and we know _he’s_ up to something.” Harry crossed his arms. “Why was Snape patrolling the second floor, huh? He never does that.”

Hotaru blanked. “He could have… followed Nott.”

“Why? It wasn’t curfew for the sixth years yet.”

“I… I… well he could have been meeting with Mama.”

Seeing doubt, Harry pressed on. “I promise I’ll tell Dumbledore about the book, okay? I’ll even give it to him later,” Harry offered. “But I just wanna hide it until I know what Snape’s doing, and why he knew about the book… and the spell.” He put his hands together as if begging though he stood quite a bit taller than Hotaru. “I’ll even swear not to use it in Potions again.”

Hotaru bit her lip. “Fine,” she said, stepping aside. “But I’m going with Sora to hide it.”

Harry had already darted past her. “Thanks!” he called as he turned and began running down the stairs.

Hotaru leaned over the railing. “ _And apologize to Hermione!”_

Harry didn’t answer, already jumping the trick step, no doubt trying to reach Snape’s office fast enough that the delay would not seem suspicious.

Hotaru shook her head, turning back to Sora, who had Harry’s Potions book held an arm’s length away.

“Is it evil?”

“No.” Hotaru shook her head. “I don’t think it’s anything except a lot of drama.”

Sora then turned it over in her hands, grabbed the front and back cover, and paused. She looked up at Hotaru, wide eyed. “I can open it, right?”

Hotaru rolled her eyes, walking in the direction of the Room of Requirement. “Do I _look_ like your babysitter?”

“Yeah,” Sora said, keeping pace with her as she flipped the textbook to the inside cover. Thus, she didn’t immediately notice Hotaru’s slightly alarmed expression. “ _Property of the Half-Blood Prince_ ,” Sora read and frowned. “Who’s _that_?”

“ _Babysitting!”_ Hotaru whined.

“What?” Sora complained. “I thought that wouldn’t be surprising.” She sighed. “Megumi’s right, I am bad at this.”

But Hotaru wasn’t exactly listening. Babysitting. _Babysitting._

She was still reeling over it when she saw Sora, engrossed in one of the textbook’s inked-up margins, migrating towards a suit of armor. Hotaru dragged her away by the back of her robes.

“Huh?” Sora looked round. “Thanks.”

Hotaru huffed. “I do not babysit you.”

“Do to – it’s fun!”

“But Moms’ are _rich_!” Hotaru sputtered. “They’d hire someone.”

Sora looked up at her over the pages of the book with the puppy dog eyes Hotaru’d learned from Haruka. “They did. But I only liked you.”

Hotaru had sudden visions of wise, middle-aged nannies running in terror from a burning mansion. She shook her head. “What do I get paid?”

“Uh… you always said you volunteered.”

Hotaru snorted. “Uh-uh. I am _definitely_ getting paid.”

Sora frowned. “I wanna get – oof!”

Hotaru had stopped her by the back of her robes. She waved at the blank wall beside them.

“Oh! Can I do it! Can I do it!”

Hotaru raised her eyebrows and shrugged. “Alright.”

Sora grinned, closed her eyes, and began marching along the wall. “I need a place to hid a book,” she said, pivoted, and marched back. “Like… a vault. On a space ship. Or a bunker. On the moon. Oooor a cave with a dragon.” She whirled around towards the wall and opened her eyes.

There was no door.

Hotaru smirked “You have to think the _same_ thing three times.”

“But that’s boooring… fine.” Sora grumbled and resumed her pacing. “I need a place to hide a book. I need a place to hide a book. _I need a place to hide a book_.” She peeked open her eyes as the door materialized.

And promptly stepped back, helped along by Hotaru pulling her robes. The second year slid in front of Sora, putting herself between her and the door that had appeared.

It was an unremarkable door in everyway – it might have been a broom closet. But both of them recognized the large, brass lock and handle.

“That’s Malfoy’s door,” Sora whispered.

“Well now we know how to get to it,” Hotaru murmured. She pulled the door open a crack and closed her eyes; frown, deepening. “There’s six… no… maybe seven living things in here.”

“Are they people?”

“I don’t… 6 aren’t.” Hotaru opened her eyes. “I’m not sure about the last… it’s strange.”

She stepped inside the room, becoming Sailor Saturn in a flash.

“We didn’t see anything when we got in last time,” Sora said behind her.

“That doesn’t mean anything except Malfoy might’ve got his cabinet working.” Saturn looked at Sora, eyebrow raised. “Well?”

“Well, what?”

“ _Well,_ I feel dark energy signatures in here,” Hotaru said. “You ought to transform.”

Sora straightened up. “ _Well…_ well, what if I can’t?”

Saturn’s eyebrow twitched. “You definitely can,” she deadpanned.

“How do you know?”

“Common sense: your star seed is _blinding.”_ Saturn tapped her white boot against the wood floor. “We have to hurry.”

Sora reached for her locket and hesitated. “Megumi said I shouldn’t.”

Saturn raised one eyebrow. “Because you always listen to her? Come on, It’s only me, not an enemy.”

“But she said not yet!”

Saturn sighed and held out her right hand. “Then give me the book.”

“No!”

“Yes,” she looked sharply at Sora. “If you can’t transform then let me hide the book, and you can run and tell the others in case I need backup.”

Sora’s face scrunched up as she turned red, looking between the book and Saturn and back. “Fine.” She grabbed her locket and whispered into it, so softly Saturn could not discern the words. There was a bright, white flash, and a feeling like fog sweeping past.

Saturn stared as the light faded: at the sailor scout shifting her blue-tinted white boots, laced to the calves with dark-blue laces. The same nearly-white coloured her skirt and collar, fading into dark blue at the edges of each. It reminded Saturn of a wave breaking on the shore.

The future senshi crossed her wrist-length gloves over the Potions book and hugged it against her dark blue bow. Her stubborn blue eyes stared up at Saturn under a gold tiara with a gem, like a pearl, in the center. “Let’s go.”

Saturn smiled, pleased with herself, and turned round, glancing at the other Sailor as she rushed to follow. “Aren’t you going to introduce yourself?” she whispered as they approached the stacks of magical junk. “It’s polite.”

Sora blushed and made a face. “I’m not _allowed to_ ,” she hissed. “Mama will ground me – _and you.”_

Saturn shook her head. “Fine,” she stopped at the edge of a narrow pathway through the realm of hidden things and closed her eyes. “Most of the energy signatures are far away…” She frowned. The one that was not-quite-human, the darkest one, was irritating her. “There’s one I want to investigate.”

“And the cabinet.”

“And the cabinet,” Saturn agreed. “And then hide the book somewhere hard to find.”

Sora frowned. “I thought Harry said to put it somewhere easy.”

“He did. He also said he’d give it to Dumbledore and changed his mind. But we compromised.” Saturn smirked. “I am compromising.

“Oh that’s good,” Sora murmured, walking with Saturn into the maze of junk. She grabbed a bag of Gobstones off a molding chair and set one on the floor. “We can find our way back with these.”

“Good thinking,” Saturn said, and Sora stood up a little taller, beaming.

They made their way through – towards the energy Saturn had sensed, and wound up following the path Sora thought led to the cabinet. Sora would, periodically, put a gobstone down to mark their course.

When they reached the source of the dark energy, the cabinet was in the empty space to the left of it.

“ _Lumos_ ,” Saturn whispered. The glaive lit up the room, illuminating the cabinet, the towers of discarded things, and in front of them a grafittied desk with a bust atop it, wearing a moth ball covered wig…

And atop that was a bronze tiara, encrusted with blue gems and one vivid green one right in the center…

There was no doubt it was the human energy signature now, Saturn thought as she took in Nephrite’s stone. Just as there was no doubt it wasn’t quite human, and that it was certainly the darkest object in the room.

It was a horcrux, just like Zoisite’s locket.

Saturn swore.

“That’s Nephrite, isn’t it?” Sora whispered.

“It is – don’t touch it!” Saturn said before Sora could get the idea. “It’s a horcrux too.”

She heard Sora gasp as she closed her eyes. Mama was in her rooms, and Rei (for reasons Hotaru tried to block from her mind) was in a broom closet on the fifth floor.

 _I need help,_ she thought. _We found Nephrite… in a Horcrux._

_“We’ll be right there.”_

“Back up’s coming,” Saturn whispered. “Back ups…” She paused, and Sora noticed, shifting closer to her.

Another of the living things was no longer far off in the dimension. Whether it had heard or sensed them, it was rushing their way.

“Get ready!” Saturn snapped at Sora, who had her fists up. “There’s…”

Papers suddenly rustled all over the towers to their left, and knickknacks wobbled and tumbled from their shelves as something swept into the shadows out in front of them. Saturn held the glaive out, still glowing with _Lumos_ ’ light, as the creature emerged: black stilettoes clacked on the floor as a pale leg stepped towards them, bared up to the thigh by a slit in the black floor length dress. It contrasted sharply with the figure’s ghostly pale complexion and matched her sharp purple eyes, dark make-up, and the dark hair that cascaded onto the floor around her.

“S-stay back,” Saturn snapped, as she stared down her own face, twisted and aged by terrible magic, and one she only ever saw in her nightmares.

“Is that Mistress 9?” Sora squeaked, peaking out from behind her.

The figure leered as their long hair rippled for a moment, making both senshi stiffen. 9 raised her hand, and Saturn’s Silence Glaive materialized between her sharp-nailed fingers.

 _“S-Silence Glaive Surprise!”_ Saturn cried, but her hands were shaking as she attacked, and 9 easily sidestepped the planetoid energy; it sailed past her into the towers of junk.

As those towers crumbled, 9’s gaze flickered to Sora and she swept back her hair. It receded, revealing first a limp hand and arm, then a rumpled blue shirt rolled to the elbow, and last a head with short blond hair that did nothing to hide the blue-tinted features of her face.

“ _PAPA!”_

Saturn broke away from Sora as the first years knees cracked against the wood floor. She began flexing her gloved hands as she stared at Haruka’s body under 9’s feet. She glanced up only when she heard the shing of metal on metal and saw the two Silence Glaives clash, and Mistress 9 knock Saturn to the side.

More of the villain’s hair receded, revealing aqua hair cascading across a bruised face, and a torn sailor collar. And slumped across her… red, empty eyes staring out under a disordered green fringe.

Saturn rushed the specter again. “ _Silence,”_ but choked on her words, sobbing as 9 knocked her, once more, onto the floor, and trained her own Silence Glaive on Saturn’s face.

She stared up at her and back at the three bodies on the floor, staring as more of Mistress 9’s hair receded around more bodies. Chibiusa. Harry. Ami. Usagi…

There was the _shing_ of the glaive being raised, readying for a swing.

“HEY!”

 _Sora_. Saturn turned.

Sora was standing up, a conch shell – white veined in blue – held between her hands. She shouted something, and put her mouth over one of the shell’s spikes.

A sound like a foghorn blared out of the conch shell, knocking Mistress 9, and the bodies back into one of the walls of junk. Hotaru gaped as the 9’s form, and the around her bodies, rippled and disseminated under Sora’s assault, becoming an amorphous mass of dark energy that shifted, struggled, and pulled away from the knocked over towers of things until they could reform into the villain.

 _It’s not real_ Saturn blinked. And scrambled to her feet. She whipped the glaive down as the figure started towards them again. “ _SILENCE GLAIVE SURPRISE!”_

The attack zoomed forwards, swallowing the villain and barreling onwards, through the endless stacks of treasure and detritus, scorching and destroying whole sections of them until the attack finally exploded in a burst of purple somewhere far, far in the distance.

“ _SATURN!”_ Sora scrambled to Saturn as she stared after her attack, and launched herself at the Senshi of Silence with her conch shell still in hand. “Sorry I was slow,” Sora muttered.  
“Uh, um.” Saturn glanced at her, putting a shaky arm around Sora as she slid to the floor. “That’s okay… I didn’t think that through either.” She shivered. “I don’t know what that was… it’s like it came right from my nightmares.”

“Mine too,” Sora mumbled against her collar.

Saturn frowned and pulled away. “Mistress 9?”

“No,” Sora swallowed. “Just the – the other thing.” She let go of Saturn and hung her head. “Lucky I realized it wasn’t real. I should have been faster.” She was looking at her gloved hands as she flexed them. “I panicked.”

She looked up when Saturn put her hand on her shoulder. “Me too.” She put her arm around Sora and checked the Horcrux behind them. It sat inert atop its bust. The potions book lay discarded at the foot of the desk.

 _Good enough place for it_ , Saturn decided, and held up the Glaive. “ _Silence Wall,”_ she whispered.

A small bubble of purple lightning illuminated the dark space as it surrounded the two of them, and the horcrux. Saturn nodded. “Nothing gets in, and that doesn’t get out.” She looked at Sora. “We got this.”

Sora smiled. “Yeah.” And she crossed her legs, leaning on Saturn.

“So where’d you get the shell?” Saturn asked as they waited for the others.

“I can’t _tell_ you.”

“ _Come on, I won’t tell…”_

~ _SMH_ ~

Moving Nephrite and the horcrux proved to be doable, if more challenging than any of the senshi cared for.

 _“The diadem – if I’m right about what that is,”_ Mercury had informed them. “ _Increases intelligence. So this might compel someone to put it on their head and attack from there.”_

They had thus decided, after a brief discussion of who would be the least tempted by wisdom, that Mars be the one to try lifting it off the bust, which she did successfully, and when she’d tried to run and put it on her head, Venus had tackled her, and Jupiter had knocked the diadem to Pluto, who’d trapped it neatly in a miniature _Garnet Ball_.

Now, it was sitting in Setsuna’s private study, atop her war map, and Ami was casting several protective charms to ensure it would stay there, unnoticed.

“If we awaken him,” Mina was complaining. “We awaken the horcrux.”

“We might even give it a power boost,” Setsuna acknowledged.

“But if we destroy it,” Mina said gravely, “we kill Nephrite.”

“I won’t do that,” Usagi said firmly.

“But if we just leave it,” Mina grumbled. “Some mad elf will come steal it!” She threw up her hands and noticed Setsuna’s downcast gaze. She flushed. “I mean,” and chuckled nervously. “Not like that can happen twice.”

Setsuna sighed. “Everything is a possibility at this point.” She looked at the diadem and shook her head. “We will still look for something that can separate the horcrux from the Shittenou,” she said. “But if there is none…” She looked at Usagi. “You may want to consider, once we can contain it adequately, using the Silver Crystal to release the corrupted souls. Only once contained, so they do not possess anything as the ring horcrux did.” Her gaze drifted downwards. “Such as Nephrite’s unwitting reincarnation.”

Usagi looked away, as her eyes grew teary. “I don’t know if I could do that.”

“The Nephrite stone would be preserved if you did,” Setsuna offered. “It could still be used to awaken Endymion if wielded by a living Shittenou.”

But Usagi shook her head again. “I can’t do that. I… He’s Endymion’s friend.”

“Um,” Hotaru cleared her throat, aware of all her friends from the first to the sixth year staring at her. “I probably could…”

But Setsuna shook her head. “I wouldn’t ask that of you, Hotaru,” she said. “Only if there was no other option.”

They all sighed. Chibiusa, standing on Hotaru’s left, squeezed her shoulder.

“We have it in a safe place for now,” Setsuna said. “Why don’t you all go on to bed.” She looked up to the left. “If you leave now, you’ll be able to take the main routes without hitting any patrols.”

“Can we stay and guard it?” Sora asked.

Setsuna shook her head. “Not tonight,” she said, ushering them out the door. “Slughorn is coming to see me.”

He would be bustling up from the dungeon right now, in fact. Coming to tell her something related to her potions ills, something she’d known he would discover ever since she’d passed along Ami’s suggestion about a light magic potion…

~ _SMH~_

Slughorn arrived at her door mere minutes after Hotaru had dragged it shut behind her. And Setsuna was so impatient to hear what the Potions Master had found out that she forgot to wait until he knocked before opening the door.

“Oh.” Slughorn jumped as she yanked the door open. “Oh I guess my visit was foreseen.”

“A lucky guess,” Setsuna fibbed. She had been trying to downplay the extent of her power ever since acknowledging it to him. (Still quite uncomfortable being known to a man who loved to talk so much.) “What have you found?” she asked first, and only afterward moved to welcome him inside.

“Oh nothing concrete, I’m sorry to say,” he sighed and gave her a cheeky grin. “Buuut, I have procured, shall we say, a working theory!” And with a flourish he drew from his cloak a vial full of bright, pink potion. “You see,” he began.

But Setsuna disrupted him, not registering for a moment that he had said the word theory once she saw the vial in his hand. _This_ was what had been plaguing her all year. As soon as she saw it she swiped the vial out of Slughorn’s hands, uncorking it and scrutinizing it.

“Well that’s not it,” Slughorn chuckled as she gave the potion a sniff, startled by the pleasant smell.

“Please don’t drink it, I would be quite embarrassed,” he said, gingerly taking it back. He grinned at her and gave her a wink. “Smell anything interesting?”

“Sea salt and lemongrass… excuse me, Professor Slughorn, that isn’t the potion blocking my sight, is it?”

He sighed, seeming disappointed for a moment. “No, unfortunately that would be a stretch even with luck.” Then he brightened again. “But this is the reason I have my theory at all.” He shook the vial. “Amortentia – strongest love potion ever crafted – as I taught it to the sixth years last term, Poppy requested that I provide her with a precautionary amount of the cure since – as I’m sure you’re aware – we have Valentines weekend coming up.” He tilted his head as he smiled at her. “Any special plans.”

“I’ve more important things to do than send cupids and cards, Horace,” she said, crossing her arms and tapping her foot. “Why’s this important.”

He shook his head and sighed. “Apologies, I digress: I was working on that project for Poppy tonight and thinking about that tip you gave me last week – that the potion you’re investigating is meant for protection.” He waved his hand and began to pace. “I dismissed it, at first, as from what you and Dumbledore and your own students have said about your powers, there is no point ‘protecting’ against them. It is not as if you are a common seer looking into her crystal ball at teatime. No: your power is far more constant,” he glanced at her. “Am I assuming correctly.”

She nodded, brows furrowed as she waited to hear his conclusions.

“Good – now to privacy loving individuals, I was thinking, that would seem quite invasive – as is Amortentia, as is Dragon Pox, as is a Wyvern’s venom.” He spun to face her, bright eyed, and reached out to touch her arm. “Your potion isn’t a protective draught – goodness, no – it’s an _antidote_.” Still grinning, still touching her arm, he drew out the Amortentia again and gave it a shake. “And every antidote needs a piece of whatever magic or substance it is trying to counteract.” His grin widened at his own, investigative triumph. “So whichever potioner has access to your magic – say those doors of yours,” he winked. “Why then, I think I’ve cracked your case.”

_The Time Doors…_

She broke away from him, curling her hands into fists to hide that they’d begun to shake. “And… And how long would it take to brew?” she asked, trying to keep calm, thinking back to _when_ this had started. _When_ had the Time Doors been vulnerable?

“Oh, well that varies,” Slughorn said. “Can be a week or up to a year in the case of Wyvern Antivenom. Now, the _real_ kicker will be how _often_ your potion needs to be brewed.”

Her throat felt dry. “Often?”

“Oh yes,” Slughorn said, falling into a cheery lecture as he resumed his pacing. “Potions meant for consumption, you see, have some of the shortest lasting effects of anything. There’s no potion out there that lasts in the body much longer than a month, elsewise Wolfsbane would have been much less of a money-maker.

_It wears off every month…_

_It needs a piece of_ my _magic to complete…_

“So, I would _hypothesize_ ,” Slughorn carried on. “That this potion of yours is brewed monthly – that’s the norm for antidotes you take regularly, and _that_ means that whoever is slighting you has to get a fresh sample every month. Anti-Amortentia, for example, requires freshly brewed Amortentia be added to the batch exactly midway through, and Wolfsbane requires the addition of a werewolf’s blood precisely on the new moon, since that’s when the wolf is weakest. So…” he paused. “Are you alright, Setsuna?”

_“Whoever’s slighting you has to get a fresh sample every month…”_

_My Time Doors…_

“There… do you need to sit down?” he asked reaching for her.

“N-no!” Setsuna answered, jerking her head side to side. Her heart roared in her ears. “W-will that be all, Professor Slughorn?”

“I… yes, so you see, now you can trap…”

“I could, I could – could you excuse me?” she asked, wand hand trembling as she waved it to reopen her door. “I have work to attend to.”

“I – yes. Yes, of course,” Slughorn stammered, walking to the open door. He glanced concerned between the hallway and her. “Of course… I’ll see if I can narrow down any rare ingredients used… um, are you sure you’re,”

“Fine,” she snapped, walking to the door herself and grabbing the edge. “I will… please get that list to me.”

Mercifully, he nodded and, shooting her one last concerned look, headed out into the hall.

She slammed and locked her door behind him, transforming immediately and charging through her Time Doors.

She spent the whole night searching – every corner of her dimension. She found no sign – no ripple, no stain, no hum of discord – no sign whatsoever that her sands of time had been disturbed.

_A dead end?_

But Slughorn had sounded so sure…

When she had exhausted herself and her search, Pluto slammed her fist into the frame of the Time Doors and followed it up by leaning her head on the wood.

Four people. _Four._ Had taken this potion.

What was the Wizard-in-White doing to her power?

~ _SMH_ ~

Michiru awoke unusually early Tuesday the 11th, at just after 4:00, feeling tension wound through her so tightly her head pounded and her hands quivered.

“Haruka,” she murmured, fingers trailing through her partner’s hair.

“Wah?” Dark blue eyes squinted open, taking her in, and sharpening their gaze. Haruka rose swiftly. “What’s up?” She linked her fingers through Michiru’s as the sea guardian closed her eyes, seeking…

“Setsuna,” Michiru whispered. “She’s…”

Just then the Aqua Mirror on the side table flashed with garnet light, and Haruka heard the telltale groan of two ancient doors swinging open a few floors below.

“She’s here,” Michiru said, throwing aside the covers.

The two of them dashed into the Kitchen just 40 seconds later, in hastily tied robes and without their slippers.

Setsuna looked up as they rushed in. She was leaning on the counter beside a kettle that was just barely steaming. Three mugs sat on the kitchen table.

“They found Nephrite,” Setsuna said, hugging her arms. “Inside another horcrux.”

“Well…” Haruka said as she took in Setsuna’s appearance. “Kreacher’s not around to filch it from here anymore so we could keep it… still might do better at Hogwarts.”

“Setsuna,” Michiru asked, moving to her side. “What’s wrong?”

Setsuna bit her lip, looking at Michiru through heavy eyes, bloodshot as though she’d been awake for days. “I don’t know what’s going on.”

~ _SMH_ ~

The rest of the week – even with Valentines Day at the close – dragged on for the senshi.

Having Nephrite back in their possession had been a win only so long as Monday night had lasted. But once at breakfast Tuesday, upon seeing Setsuna absent, a feeling of unease had crept through all of them. It grew further when Setsuna’d returned at lunch and pulled them out of the Great Hall for an emergency meeting.

“I’ve never seen her spooked like this,” Hotaru confided in Harry Tuesday night as they sat on a bench in one of the courtyards. “And she won’t tell us why, or at least,” She made a face. “She wouldn’t tell me.” Hotaru kicked her feet against the leg of their seat. “It makes me worry more.”

“Well… we could find out why,” Harry suggested. “Investigate.”

“Cause that worked out so well last time.” Hotaru sulked, leaning back on the bench in the snowy, empty courtyard and looking up at the clouded sky. “How’re Malfoy and Nott?”

“Fine. It’s creepy, actually,” Harry said. “Malfoy… It’s like he doesn’t remember at all – he told Crabbe and Goyle that Myrtle spooked him and made him knock his head. Nott acts like he forgets even being there.” Harry rubbed his hands over his eyes. “Snape knows the book – I don’t know why – he wasn’t buying my plan with Ron’s at all.” He groaned. “And we have detention all of Saturday.”

“There goes your patrol date with Jadeite, then.”

“They’re not dates!”

Hotaru gave him a look and he blushed. “Oh shut up.”

They laughed for a moment, a brief sound that died in the frozen air.

“We’re all taking turns guarding the Time Doors now,” Hotaru said. “And…” she glanced around. “The other thing.”

“You know,” Harry said, trying to get back the joking mood. “I feel like you should thank me for that – found Malfoy’s room and a horcrux.”

“I’d like to hit you, actually. But I’m sure Hermione already has.”

“Well…” Harry sighed. “I apologized like you wanted.”

“I’m glad.” She looked at him, biting her lip. “We might have to kill Nephrite… Or I might.” She swallowed. “I don’t want to.”

Harry grabbed her hand. “I… I don’t have any good advice,” he looked down at his lap. “Luna’d be better at this than me.”

“She did say I could talk to her when I was ready – I think she just _knows_.” Hotaru leaned her head on his shoulder. “Thanks for being here.”

“Anytime,” Harry said, feeling snow beginning to fall on his nose.

They sat for a while, his hand covering hers, watching the snow and avoiding their homework, which seemed less important by the day.

Hotaru was the one who broke the silence. “Do you think… it’s Snape’s book?”

“Hermione thinks so.” Harry shrugged. “I don’t.”

“Why?”

“Well, I’d be expelled by now, wouldn’t I?”

“Because that’s definitely sound evidence,” she chuckled and sighed. “What do you think our detention’s gonna be?”

“Well it’s Snape… and me,” Harry chuckled dryly. “Might be scrubbing the Owlery with my toothbrush.”

~ _SMH_ ~

The quill and inkwell slammed down onto the desk in front of Harry, splattering his glasses in ink as a roll of parchment tumbled down after them.

“You will write an essay,” Snape intoned, stalking around his desk. “On the spell you two ill-advisedly used against Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Nott on Monday.”

“In self-defense,” Hotaru muttered.

Snape stood beside her chair, looming over her.

His long nose looking extra beak-like from that angle, Harry thought.

“And what _injuries_ ,” Snape seethed. “Did you sustain to justify this defense, Miss. Tomoe?”

“None,” Harry said. “It was a very good defense.”

Snape was un-amused. “3000 words – you will count them,” Snape said. “You must tell me…” and he pointed his wand at the blackboard behind his desk, listing words as a piece of chalk wrote them down. “Etymology, Casting Procedure, Intention, Actual Effect, Real and Potential _Consequences.”_ This was punctuated by a particularly loud screech of the chalk. “And, lastly: how you would classify this spell under the New Ministry Guidelines.”

“But I don’t know Latin!” Harry blustered. “Or guidelines.”

Snape raised his thin eyebrows and waved at the ceiling high shelf of books he had put up to cover the office’s window. “3000 words. Get. _Working_.”

And he turned away, tending to a small potion on the side of his desk.

Harry sighed.

“Dates count as words,” Hotaru muttered. “I’ll do Etymology.”

“I’ll do guidelines.”

“ _10 points for talking_!”

Hotaru walked over to the bookshelf while Harry bent over his parchment, scrawling _February the Fifteenth, Nineteen-Ninty-Seven_ in the left hand corner.

Hotaru returned, opening a Latin dictionary and dropping three small books on Harry’s side of the desk. Harry picked up the top one.

_New Ministry Guidelines for Magical Classification_

_Vol. III: Dark Craft._

Harry swallowed the lump in his throat.

The Prince wouldn’t really have been making dark spells.

_Would he?_

_~I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up TO No Good~_


	15. Hostage in Hogsmeade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> some fighting action, some HP characters, some baddie backstory, AND a detention.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Thank you for being patient with the wait. I won’t bore you with the rollercoaster of reasons this took so long. But I am… really happy with this one. I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> Disclaimer: Please see chapter 1.
> 
> Last Time on Sailor Moon H: Setsuna is finally getting closer to some answers regarding Lestrange and her fellows defense against her powers. Usagi and Neville are stumbling – quite literally at times – into a relationship, and are going on proper date in Hogsmeade for the Valentine’s Holiday. All’s not well though – Hotaru of all people has landed in detention with Harry Potter!

 

**Hostage in Hogsmeade**

February the 15th dawned with a bright sun over the highlands and a rare dearth of the usual winds that put everyone in Hogsmeade, and the students on their way there, in a jovial mood. The bright day, the large number of students who’d signed up to attend, and the holiday itself made it easier to ignore the aurors stationed around the village routes, or those order members who lurked around their own watch posts. Most people had even convinced themselves that the fuss was a bit silly. After all, most people in the village were purebloods of one sort or another, many of the students too, and _besides_ there had been no attack in January, so surely there would be no attack now.

This confidence did not extend to those tasked with watching over the Hogsmeade visit. It, in fact, fostered a greater sense of unease, especially amongst the senshi and their friends. Whether it was Jadeite and Luna, conversing and joking together as they surveyed the village from the top of Zonko’s, or whether it was Usagi and Neville, using their date as a pretense to keep watch (or as Mina and Rei had put it, using their watch as an excuse for a date) everyone was a bit on-edge – and none more so than the five senshi stationed atop the roof of Three Broomsticks. The outer senshi, Jupiter, and Mercury were there, masked by a decent notice-me-not charm. Mercury and Jupiter were sitting highest up in the middle of the roof, Uranus and Neptune lounged on the peak above one of the attic windows, and Pluto stood in the shadow of one of the chimneys. While Uranus, Mercury, and Jupiter kept an eye mostly on the village, Pluto was keeping a close watch on the immediate future using the Garnet Orb. And Neptune, with her trident and the Aqua Mirror inlaid in it balanced on her lap, was keeping an eye on every location in the country the Order had identified as a potential target over the Valentines weekend.

It proved to be a good thing that she was, for while Hogsmeade remained quiet, signs of trouble had been popping up across the country all morning. Only a few were those Pluto had foreseen (those devised by Voldemort without Lestrange’s input). All the other trouble, Neptune had to report in real time.

She’d noticed the first spot of trouble just after Jupiter and Mercury had alighted on the roof at 10. “Fire’s just popped up at that muggleborn apothecary in Wales,” Neptune had announced. “Rabastian’s there,”

Uranus, Mercury, and Jupiter had traded looks, all wondering if they’d again made a bad gamble concentrating all together in Hogsmeade.

“Rigel’s in place to handle that,” Pluto had said.

But as the hours had gone on, more attacks had continued to pop-up, all while the merry Valentines festivities in Hogsmeade remained peaceful.

“A large force just apparated into Diagon Alley,” Neptune noted shortly after the clock in the main square struck noon. She peered more closely at her mirror. “That looks like Dolohov.”

Pluto hummed, staring into the Garnet Orb and then shaking her head. “It doesn’t look like they’re planning to cause any major damage.”

Neptune abruptly looked up at her. “They’ve just started raiding the Prophet office.”

Pluto’s hands clenched around the Garnet Rod and she closed her eyes, brows furrowing. “They appear to have… several targets… or perhaps they believe they do, but I cannot see what those targets are.”

“Bet that means they don’t know either,” Uranus guessed. “Lestrange or one of hers must be feeding them instructions as they go – to keep you out of the loop.”

“We still do not have to intervene there,” Pluto insisted. “The aurors put most of their force in Diagon.”

“Another group just apparated into downtown Manchester… they have dementors with them.”

Pluto bit her lip, and shifted her head from side to side, scanning across Hogsmeade village as she did. “We stay here,” she insisted, twisting the Garnet Rod.

“Another group’s just appeared over in…” Neptune looked up and sighed. “Pluto, I know you think the holiday makes Hogsmeade a perfect target, but perhaps that is part of the ruse,” she said, standing and moving from Uranus side over to Pluto. Neptune put a hand on her back. “She may be just as good a strategist as you.”

“Then she’ll attack here last, hoping we’ve spread our forces thin,” Pluto insisted.

Sitting some distance away, Mercury and Jupiter exchanged a look. Jupiter shrugged.

“We’ve separated before,” Mercury said. “Like on New Years.” She saw Neptune nodding; Uranus looked pensive. “And we know the Order and the Aurors have trouble being… everywhere.” She cleared her throat. “Maybe, I mean if we’re needed elsewhere.”

“We’re all staying here,” Pluto insisted. “I’ve told Mars and Venus as much.”

Neptune looked down at her mirror, which had just revealed two more teams of Bellatrix and Voldemort’s forces descending on two other targets. She looked over at Uranus, who had her arms crossed, one sword in her right hand.

“Please,” Pluto whispered, drawing all of their attention to her. “If we can’t trust my powers, at least trust my instincts.”

“Never doubted them,” Uranus said, twisting one of her swords so it reflected the opposite side of the village. Three hours since the Hogsmeade trip had started, and it was still annoyingly quiet.

“We just hate the waiting,” Neptune assured Pluto.

Pluto blew out a long breath, watching the resulting cloud spiral up towards the blue sky. “I know.” She trained her eyes on Puddifoot’s, where Usagi and Neville were seated, laughing, in the front window. “I do hope I’m wrong.”

~ _SMH_ ~

Hotaru sighed, tapping her dried up quill against the English words of her essay – ones, which had transformed from fluid cursive to large, blocky printing. At the top of the current sheet of parchment (the second in what was shaping up to be a five-page detention assignment) was an entire paragraph that she had had to cross out when she realized she’d simply copied the same sentence out of the textbook four times– a surer sign than her deteriorating handwriting that detention was making her lose her mind.

Beside her, Harry looked to be faring a little better – blinking heavily, glasses low on his nose as he bent too close to the parchment. He was looking back and forth between his essay and a textbook, looking between the two, word after word, as he transcribed a quote carefully onto the third page of his essay.

“Daydreaming will be another 5 points from Ravenclaw, Miss. Tomoe,” Snape said, not looking up from the small cauldron on his desk, bubbling with some red brew.

Hotaru glared at him – this was the third time he’d taken points from her for lack of focus – forget that it was _Harry_ who’d come up with the curse they’d used on Malfoy and Nott. Surely it mattered more if _he_ were focusing on their essay about it than her.

But if Snape felt the deadly glare she’d directed at him, he paid her no mind. He carried on tending to the cauldron on his desk. He pointed his wand beneath it, lowered the flames that wicked up around the sides, and then carefully gave it what looked like one-and-a-half stirs with a pale wood spoon. That action caused a fresh wave of the potion’s scent to waft across the desk.

Hotaru wrinkled her nose. The thick, acrid smell of it was not helping how… twitchy she felt sitting in the hard, creaky chair in the defence office. She shifted in her seat, glancing away from Snape lest he nag her about focus again. Her mind drifted to thoughts of her friends and her parents in Hogsmeade, where there might be an attack. _Might be._ No one was sure. _How long_ had she and Harry been writing?

She wrinkled her nose as the scent of Snape’s potion wafted past her again. Now he was checking his watch.

Snape glanced up and caught her eyes. He raised one of his eyebrows. “5 more points,” he said in a bored tone.

Hotaru huffed, returning her gaze to her essay and scribbling down something without bothering to check if it made sense, then moving on to the next paragraph.

Snape then looked at Harry, who was now looking at Hotaru, frowning as he dipped his quill back in the well. “Potter,” Snape drawled. “5 points from you as well.”

“For what?”

“For overusing the ink,” Snape said, and then returned his gaze to his potion.

 _Greasy git,_ Harry and Hotaru both thought in that moment.

Harry kept looking at Hotaru, who could not seem to sit still. When he was sure Snape was engrossed in stirring his concoction, Harry elbowed her.

But Hotaru ignored him at first, sure Snape would notice. She did not look up from her essay again until the professor checked his watch and hummed. There was the sound of the wood spoon being set down on the desk, and then the flash of Snape’s black cloak as he lifted the small cauldron up and swept out of the office into the backroom. He locked the door.

Hotaru took her chance, tearing her eyes away from her essay, reaching for the glaive, and whispering a rushed time charm.

 _12:32._ The time hovered in the air above the desk a moment before fading.

“Alright?” Harry asked.

“I don’t know,” Hotaru whispered, staring at her essay and watching the words swim together. “How long to Hogsmeade trips last?”

“Depends when it gets dark.” Harry shrugged. “S’pose they might be walking to the carriages by half four today.”

 _3 hours_. Hotaru spun her quill between her fingers and lifted the glaive from where it leaned on the desk beside her. She drew it close and leaned her head against the handle.

"D'you think there'll be an attack?" Harry pressed, pushing back his chair.

"I don't know," Hotaru said again, furrowing her brow as she tried to establish a psychic link to Setsuna, or Michiru, or even Rei. No luck. Hogsmeade was just too far away. "I don't like being stuck here," she complained to Harry.

"Tell me about it," Harry said, and jumped as the deadbolt clicked on the door to the back room. "We finish quick, we can sneak down," he whispered hastily. "I know a way." He shoved one of the textbooks on his side of the desk towards Hotaru as Snape emerged, cauldron-less, from the back.

"No collaborating," Snape drawled as he sank down into his desk chair and steepled his fingers. His eyes flicked between them. "Neither of you is half done. Am I to assume then, Mr. Potter, that it has been outside help carrying you through the NEWTs' rigor?"

"Yeah – decent teaching's been a huge help," Harry said. "But luckily I've always had a knack for Defense."

"10 points from Gryffindor," Snape sneered. He then turned to a stack of essays on his desk and began to grade them with a red-inked quill. "Get back to work."

Hotaru and Harry exchanged a look before refocusing on their essays. Hotaru put her quill to the parchment and scowled. The ink had dried up again. She re-dipped it in the well. _Be careful,_ she thought, hoping at least Mama Suna or Mama Michiru would hear. _I have a bad feeling..._

_~SMH~_

The last three of their teams had been portkeyed away, and Lestrange had begun to seethe, pacing impatiently before the hearth, when the low flames there jumped up and turned green with an abrupt roar. A parcel sprang up through them, and Lestrange snatched it, crushing the burning brown paper around the parcel as it smoldered to ash, revealing – Rowle and the other remaining, young death eaters raised their eyebrows – two bright red vials of potion.

“We’ve been waiting for that?” Rowle muttered incredulously. He’d thought they’d been waiting around for something… grander.

“I assure you,” the strange white-robed wizard whispered near his ear as a swirl of ash raced past. Rowle shivered as the man materialized next to Lestrange and took the spare vial. “It’s quite essential.” He held the vial under his nose, perhaps peering at it from beneath his hood. He was smiling as he uncorked it. “Years of theory, and never the proper circumstances to carry it out.” He uncorked the vial. “Until now.” He tilted the contents down his throat. Lestrange was already finished with hers, and her vial was a smattering of shattered pieces at the back of the hearth. The Wizard was more delicate with his, merely vanishing the emptied vial. “Now,” he said. “There’s no chance of a weakened protection foiling our plans.”

Lestrange grinned and waved her wand. Six pins – portkeys – appeared on the left sides of all of the death eaters’ robes. “Now this is the most important of todays missions – anyone who screws it up will be answering to My Lord,” her grin twisted. “And then to me.” She giggled, and crooked her finger at the armchair by the door. A small unassuming bag, which had been resting there all morning, soared into her hand. She opened it just enough to check the contents, but not enough for any of the death eaters to see.

Rowle jumped as a stream of dust _swished_ up from beneath the rug and darted into the bag before Lestrange drew it closed again. Something in it rustled and pushed against the cloth sides.

“Now,” Lestrange continued as she stowed the bag below the neck of her robes. “All of you will appear around one building. Tallest one in the area.”

“You’re job,” the white-robed wizard continued, turning his hooded face towards Rowle in particular. “Is to create as sizeable… and sustainable a distraction as you can.”

“And then move through the area,” Lestrange said. “Any building you see with a red mark, attack it.”

“Yes, Madam Lestrange,” the oldest Death Eater with their group, Crabbe, bowed to her. “It will be done.”

“For your sakes, I hope so,” Lestrange said.

“Hmm.” The Wizard drew all of their attention. He was watching Lestrange, rubbing his chin. “Lady,” he said. “Suits you much better.” His feet lifted off the ground as he sailed around Lestrange. “Such a pity,” the foreign wizard continued. Lestrange’s smirk curled into an irritated frown and Rowle wondered if this wizard wasn’t a fair bit insane. “I suppose you’d have to ask your Dark Lord’s permission for such an… equal title.”

Lestrange’s nostrils flared and she swiped her hand at the wizard. Her fingers passed right through him. “I don’t need permission,” she hissed, and then glared at the six Death Eaters. “Do I?”

Rowle gulped. The others, especially Crabbe, looked uncomfortable, but Rowle was not yet so devoted to the Dark Lord’s customs. And he was very invested in saving his skin.

“Absolutely not, Lady Lestrange,” he blurted out. “Shall we get going?”  
“Hmm…” her eyes appeared to sparkle as they widened, reflecting the hearth fire. “I do like the sound of that.” She checked her watch. “Yes. We will go, right… about… now.”

Rowle closed his eyes as he felt the sudden jerk behind his navel. The portkey dragged him through space and dropped him only a moment later into a cold alley. He gasped in the much cooler air and stumbled once, but he’d been training with portkeys for months now and he was not so ungainly as he’d been in the past. He looked left, at a building with a red mark that appeared to hover over the bricks – a target mark – and then right, staring up at the four story building with pixies giggling as they wove between the icicles which, unlike on more conventional buildings, had been charmed to flash in the Hogwarts’ house colors. He’d recognize the décor anywhere.

_Zonko’s._

Rowle scanned the ground. There was a sizeable brick that would be good for his uses, and a basement window. He rushed to both, smirking. Lestrange wouldn’t regret selecting him for this.

 _A sustainable distraction:_ Rowle had the perfect thing. He lifted the brick, concentrating as he waved his wand above it, muttering a long incantation.

Even before he’d finished, the brick had begun to warm in his gloved hand. Rowle grinned when he opened his eyes to look at it. The tan stone had grown pure white, crackling within like the coals under a dragon’s nest. This wasn’t one of those, but it was a decent facsimile.

When the brick had turned from warm to hot, and when the smell of burning leather glove reached his nose, Rowle approached the basement window of Zonkos, and chucked the enchanted brick through. “ _Protego.”_ He cast just in time.

The smoldering, super-heated brick fell right into the middle of several sealed barrels of potion, heating it to unstable temperatures in seconds. A boom sounded from the basement of Zonko’s – one that made the foundations of the whole building tremble and many support beams under the ground floor buckle and crack.  The explosion tore up all the bricks on the road around the building, spewed burning debris up through the floorboards, and created a shockwave that sent any loose object between the joke shop and Three Broomsticks rattling.

Rowle let down his _Protego_ as soon as the last brick had settled. The first and second floor also looked to be on fire, courtesy of his colleagues’ efforts. One enterprising soul had even weaponized the building’s icicles. They were now breaking away from the overhangs like a pack of bats – and were circling the building. Several zeroed in on fleeing shoppers and students, diving towards them.

Rowle stepped nimbly across the torn up alley and cast a simpler fire charm on the building to his right. He emerged behind the buildings and scanned in both directions, searching for another building marked with Lestrange’s target symbol.

 _In and out,_ she’d insisted over and over for weeks as she’d trained he and a few other newer recruits. _In and out, leaving as much of a mess as you can make._

Rowle didn’t know where the aurors were, or how long it would be before his portkey took them back to the mansion. But until then, he smirked. He had a good impression to put on.

_~SMH~_

Uranus and Neptune had begun to worry about Pluto. The precision of her strategic instincts aside, it was unnerving to see her stare past them: scanning across the roofs of Hogsmeade in between long periods gazing at the Garnet Orb. The concern didn’t show on their faces, practiced as they were, but it did show on Mercury’s and Jupiter’s. Mercury was worrying her lip between her teeth, occasionally passing her Ravenclaw-colored staff between her hands. Jupiter was more restless: kicking her heel against the roof tiles and smacking her hammer against her palm. Nervous static raced through her hair.

All of them glanced intermittently at Pluto: a silent sentinel standing rigidly in the shadow of the pub’s largest chimney. By 13:04, when even the professors patrolling the streets had let down their guard and drifted into the shops, Uranus and Neptune had begun to wonder how Pluto would react if this second Hogsmeade weekend did end without a single attack to show for their preparedness.

And then at 13:05, Pluto jerked her head up. “Zonko’s,” She said. Mercury and Jupiter leapt to their feet. Neptune concentrated on her mirror, directing it to show Zonko’s shop-front. It appeared in the mirror just in time for all of them to get a close up of fire shattering the basement and ground floor windows. They could hear the boom, and the roar from the flames all the way across the village.

“ _Shit_ ,” Jupiter swore, moving to leap to the next roof.

“Hold up,” Uranus said. “Pluto how many Death Eaters are there?”

“Six.”

“Lestrange isn’t with them,” Neptune confirmed.

“And the Wizard?” Pluto whispered.

“No way to know.” Neptune shook her head. “He’s never shown up in here.”

Uranus scanned round.

“Mars and Venus and headed over to Zonko’s now,” Pluto said. “As well the professors… and the aurors.”

“Should we?” Mercury asked.

“You and Neptune go,” Uranus ordered.

“What!” Jupiter exclaimed as the two other senshi dashed away.

“They can handle the fire.” Uranus looked over at Pluto. “This feels like a distraction to me.”

“It is,” Pluto whispered. She stepped out of the chimney’s shadow and stood beside Uranus. She pointed across the square… at Puddifoot’s Café. “Usagi’s just noticed something strange about the window.”

“But?” Jupiter squinted. “I don’t see anyone over there.”

“And I don’t hear anything,” Uranus muttered. “Still…”

“Something’s definitely wrong,” Pluto confirmed. “Mr. Smith’s having trouble with the front door…”

~ _SMH_ ~

Later, Neville would say it had been foolish to think they could remain focused on surveillance and each other at the same time. Though in his own, private thoughts, and in several later conversations in the common room with Harry, he would concede that, perhaps, even if they hadn’t been distracting each other, it still might have caught them by surprise.

When they noticed, sometime around 13:00, Neville and Usagi had been laughing at the chocolate fondue that had just splattered across Neville’s nose.

“Here, here,” Usagi managed through her giggles. She fished her napkin off her lap and held it out to him, leaning around the chocolate fountain to reach his face.

In doing so, her arm brushed against the window.

Usagi jumped away from the glass. And her shoulder bumped their dessert, sending a wave of chocolate splashing onto the floor.

“Woah!” Neville said, narrowly missing staining the sleeve of his new robe. He chuckled. “Okay, I concede – you may be clumsier than…” His voice then trailed off as he registered that she had stood up, and had not looked away from the window. “Usa…?”

She lifted her left hand. Her right, Neville realized, had grabbed her wand. “Do you feel that?” she said, putting the fingers of her left hand over the wooden frame that divided two of the picture window’s panes.

Neville copied her, putting his hand slightly over hers. Static shocked his fingertips. "It's just magical discharge isn’t it?" he asked. "Happens all the time around the castle..."

But Usagi was frowning. "No. This feels like... like something else." Absently, she put her right hand over her chest, covering the locket concealed beneath her robes.

The motion brought Neville back to a conversation they'd had a few weeks ago, after a defense class where they'd been tasked with identifying dark objects. Usagi had been twitchy the whole time, sensitive to the dark magic.

" _I used to not be able to feel it,"_ she'd told him after class. _"Or maybe the Negaverse traps were never soaked in it so strongly."_

_"How'd you learn to feel it?"_

She'd covered her locket then, as she was doing now. " _I was kidnapped once, on a dark planet,"_ she'd confided. Her voice had made Neville shiver. And she had too as she's spoken. Shifting closer to him as they'd walked towards the Great Hall. _"I've never been able to ignore what it feels like since then."_

_"What's it feel like?"_

She'd closed her eyes. _"It makes your skin crawl,"_ she'd told him vehemently. _"It's something that's just_ wrong _."_

Neville'd shivered _"I guess it is dark magic,"_ he'd said.

She’d shaken her head.  " _It's what makes it dark. All your dark magic has a spark of it."_

_"Of what?"_

_"Chaos’ energy..."_

Neville looked round Puddifoot's main dining room. Most everyone else hadn't noticed anything. He turned and looked out at the street. It was quiet.

But something was off. There was movement across the square.

"Look there!" Neville told Usagi, pointing across the street. The notice-me-not charm over Three Broomsticks had weakened as all those hidden by it stood up at once, gathering around Neptune’s mirror.

As Usagi spotted them, a soft "Boom," made all the cutlery and glassware in the shop rattle.

" _What the_?" Zacharius Smith exclaimed. He and many others stood up from their chairs and, out the side windows, they saw the owls in the Emporium all flee from their roosts.

 _"The fuck_?"

_“What’s wrong?”_

_“Was that fireworks?”_

Smith, nosey as he was, pressed his face to the widest side window, searching for whatever had caused the disturbance. Whatever he saw out there made him yelp. He bolted for the front door.

 _"Zach!_ " his date exclaimed.

 _"What'd you see?"_ others clamored as the Hufflepuff threw the front door open.

Neville wasn't looking there. Rather, he was straining to see whatever Zach had from the angle of the front picture window. Whatever it was was down the far end of the village, because Mercury and Neptune had just bolted that way. He squinted; the front window didn't have a good view down there.

Neville thus, was not looking as Zacharius Smith made to leave the cafe. It was Usagi who saw him step into the wide open doorway, and saw him bump his nose against a barrier that rippled with dark power as Smith contacted it.

Usagi looked at the window, at the frame, where she'd felt the dark power concentrated.

 _Am I imagining it_? she thought. _Or is it stronger than it was a minute ago?_

 _"WHAT IS THIS!"_ Smith squeaked Usagi looked over as he waved his wand at the blocked doorway and shouted something. A plume of smoke blew back in his face.

_"We’re trapped!"_

_"Is it HIM?"_

"Usagi, look," Neville said. He still had his face pressed to the middle pane of the front window. "I think there's a fire."

Usagi looked out. She could see the smoke all right. She also heard a shout upstairs, followed by a crash.

Right outside, they both saw the white chair tumble down from above, followed by the broken glass that suggested someone had broken a window with it.

"We've got to…" Neville started to say. But he trailed off as Usagi put her hand on his chest.

"Warn the others," she said, eyes fixed on the chair and the broken glass on the ground outside, she nibbled her lower lip. _I need to get Neville out somehow._ Why had no one followed the chair and escaped out that broken window?

A crowd by the front door drew Neville's eye. He watched one of Hufflepuff's beaters throw her shoulder at the front doorway only to get knocked onto her back.

Everyone on the ground floor then jumped as someone – several someones – screamed from the second floor,

"What was..." Neville began to ask and stiffened. "Usa?"

She had raised her wand.

"Warn the others," she repeated, having thought of a stupid, stupid idea. _I hope this works._ "I'll be fine." Then she pointed her wand at him. " _Depulso."_

The force knocked the wind out of Neville as it slammed into his chest. Neville flew backwards. He felt his foot knock over his chair and then his back hit the left pane of the picture window, shattering it. He shot straight through, tripping when his foot caught the window box and tumbling into the road. Shattered glass tinkled and chimed on the frozen cobblestones around him.

 _"Protego_!" a low voice roared. Lightning crackled over Neville's head and he lifted it in time to see a bright yellow light collide with Sailor Jupiter's lightning-laced spell.

Then he looked back at Puddifoot’s, at the broken window, at the barrier covering the hole his body had punched through the glass.

"Usagi!" Jupiter shouted, then grunted as another spell struck her shield.

_"Uranus World SHAKING!"_

The other guardian shouted as she landed, at a run, onto the road beside Jupiter. Her energy ball attack tore across the cobblestones and slamming into the barrier coating Puddifoot's. That barrier flickered when Uranus attack struck it, but remained strong.

"Damnit!" Uranus cursed.

Jupiter helped Neville to his feet. His eyes were still on Puddifoot’s. Usagi wasn't in the window anymore; she was walking towards the middle of the cafe. He couldn’t see her very well – all the lamps had gone out inside.

"We need to get in there," Pluto announced and Neville looked up to see her standing to his right. He started to speak.

 _"Protego!"_ Jupiter shouted again. Her lightning dome spread over the four of them just in time for a green spell to strike the side. A good thing it had the lightning in it too, for no normal _Protego_ would have stopped a killing curse.

As it was, Jupiter's lightning-laced casting exploded along with the curse. Jupiter stumbled back.

" _Garnet Ball!"_ Pluto shouted.

The stronger shield enveloped them, absorbing the next spell, a bright red _Crucio_ , as it struck inches from Neville's nose.

"Why's she aiming at you?" Uranus asked, glaring in the direction of Puddifoot’s roof along with Jupiter and Pluto.

Neville shivered, looking up already knowing whom he would find.

Bellatrix Lestrange lounged on the roof's edge – a dark blemish against the pastel pink shingles. Her imposing black boots kicked lazily against the white stone side of the cafe, and she twirled her gnarled, black wand in her hand.

Neville gulped. "Uh... unfinished business." He flinched as another _Crucio_ cracked against _Garnet Ball._

"Then we need to get you out of her sight," Pluto determined. She looked at Jupiter and Uranus. "Mars and Venus are on their way."

“We got this,” Jupiter assured her, hammer raised like Uranus’ swords to block Lestrange’s spells and any of her surprises.

Uranus nodded "Go."

“ _Wait!_ ” Neville protested as Pluto’s hand touched his shoulder.

At once, Puddifoot’s was gone. The bright sunlight and the airy village square were gone. Neville blinked as he took in the basement-like room around him. Footsteps were racing across the wood floor overhead, and then were clomping down a set of stairs across the room.

“This is the basement of the Hog’s Head,” Pluto told him “Your friends and the aurors are ferrying students down here.”

“Why?”

“Zonko’s caught fire just before Puddifoot’s was locked down,” Pluto said. “As well, there’s a group of death eaters out terrorizing the streets.” She fixed her sharp gaze on Neville. “You’d do a lot of good being part of the team defending this space. The first groups of students are on their way down.”

“But,” Neville sputtered. “But I can’t wait down here.”

“You don’t have to,” Pluto said. “You could join the battle outside or help protect the buildings. In fact, you might do well to help your friends move students down here.” She closed her eyes and nodded. “They could use someone to organize them, as you’ve been tutoring many of the younger students this year, I think you should be more than able to manage those taking refuge here.”

“Well, _yes_. But,” Neville sputtered, flushing as he saw a group of students gather at the foot of the stairs and stare at them. “But Usagi is –”

“And Lestrange,” Pluto said, cutting him off. “Are you ready to face her?”

Neville bit his lip and looked away.

“We can get Usagi out,” Pluto assured him. “And she’s not without her own powers.” Then she stiffened. Her hand went to her temple.

“What?” Neville asked.

“Another creation of Lestrange’s,” Pluto murmured, frowning. She looked into her Garnet Orb and then towards the stairs, where more students continued to pile into the room. “I have to go.”

And before Neville could argue, she had disapparated without a sound.

~ _SMH_ ~

            Back in the main square of Hogsmeade, Bellatrix stood up from the roof as soon as Pluto and Neville had gone. She snapped her wand from the left to the right, creating a volley of arrows that shot down at Jupiter and Uranus. Both of them easily leapt out of the way.

"Aww, no fun," Bellatrix pouted, conjuring a shield to block a lightning attack from Jupiter. She then whipped her wand across her chest and conjured a whip of flame. It snapped downwards towards them.

_"Mars Snake FIRE!"_

The serpentine fire hissed as it crossed Bellatrix’s spell: both flames roared until Mars' had consumed Bellatrix's. And then _Snake Fire_ , twice as large now, raced towards the dark witch.

Bellatrix was just as fast: conjuring a shield with which the snake collided, flames spreading across the barrier in a sunburst, flickering, sparking, and finally wicking out.

Mars growled, meeting Bellatrix glare as she and Venus stepped into line with Uranus and Jupiter. Mars lifted the spear that had transformed from her wand, the amethyst flame more vivid from her rage.

"That weakened her." Venus advised, taking note of Lestrange's clenched jaw and the sweat gleaming on her face. She was fishing something out of the neck of her robes. "Keep it up."

“ _Space Swords Blaster!”_ Uranus crossed her swords and sent the attack streaming upwards to Lestrange. She apparated away with a pop, re-appearing on the peak of Puddifoot’s roof. She had taken a small bag out of her robes.

“ _JUPITER COCONUT CYCLONE!”_

 _“_ LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!”

Bellatrix dodged these, rolling across the roof. Venus and Jupiter’s attacks slammed into the pink shingles with a mighty boom that made the ground shake. Fissures flickered through the ward blockading Puddifoot’s as the attack faded.

"I think there's something on the roof maintaining that barrier,” Mars said, both eyes closed. She pointed her finger to Puddifoot’s Chimney. “In there.”

"Then let's distract her and get up there," Uranus said.

Venus summoned her whip and cracked it "My pleasure. Jupiter, Mars: go round the ba-"

But she ceased her orders as the ground under them trembled. Loose dirt shook free of the cobblestones.

Bellatrix giggled, and waved her wand. She let the bag in her free hand fall open. Nine bits of parchment whizzed out. "You want to duel me?" She taunted. The loosened dirt and gravel around the senshi began to drift up into the air. The senshi crowded closer together. “Well too bad,” Bellatrix said. “I’m afraid that’s not how it's going to go today.” She raised her non-wanded hand. "You'll have to earn that opportunity." And she snapped her fingers.

With a whoosh, the steady flow of dirt coming up from below burst upwards in a circle round them: entrapping the senshi between nine separate geysers of dirt and detritus. They all watched the scraps of parchment floating before Bellatrix soar overhead, into the nine masses of earth forming overhead, coalescing into humanoid bodies.

"Remember I saw these," Mars murmured, both hands on her spear. "Golems."

"Michiru looked them up," Uranus said. "They don’t have much magic. Hard to kill. Fire ain't gonna cut it."

"Fantastic," Mars muttered.

"We need water," Pluto announced as she re-appeared in the middle of their circle. "Soon as that fire's out in Zonko’s, Mercury and Neptune will come back here."

"Or we could just blow them up," Jupiter offered as the earthen bodies of the golems forming overhead became bigger and bigger. The fast-moving geysers of dirt around them were beginning to thin.

"That too," Pluto said. "The bodies will reform though. You'll need to get at what controls them."

“The parchment,” Mars said as they saw two dents sink into the heads of each of the golems and a thin crack split into them underneath. When each of the creatures had these eyes and a mouth they dropped downwards, landing with a _thud_ that made the loosened cobblestones tremble. All their eyes flashed pink and faded into a pitch black, as each of them smiled.

"Nine-on-five." Jupiter smirked as the lightning rod rose out of her tiara. She hefted her hammer. "Easy stuff." She aimed her weapon at the nearest golem. " _Supreme THUNDER!"_

Pluto couldn’t see the result of that, the golems being too connected to Lestrange. But she saw the one closest to Jupiter open its maw. And reacted in that split second. " _Garnet Ball!"_

Jupiter’s lightning raced away from her as _Garnet Ball_ blossomed to life. As it did, black lightning – equal to Jupiter's own – launched in one great bolt out of the golem's mouth. It collided with Jupiter’s and the energy recoiled, striking Pluto's shield with a boom that had all of them covering their ears.

"I thought they weren't much magic!" Venus snapped at Uranus.

"Normally not." Pluto informed her, eyes flicking around the circle of opponents as the other eight raised their earthen hands or opened their mouths. "They do physical work. Can hold small charms."

"Then she's done to these what she did to that Dementor," Uranus said. "Gone and made it stro..."

At once, in unison, all nine golems attacked. Lightning, fire, hail, water, and energy in different colors, and forms, and patterns exploded from their hands and make-shift mouths and crashed up against the sides of _Garnet Ball._ Pluto grunted, heel skidding on the road. Her shield flickered. But held.

"They shouldn’t be able to do magic like this," Pluto muttered. "Charms at most."

"We'll worry about it later," Venus said. "I don't like being surrounded." She glanced up the street. Mercury and Neptune were sprinting towards them. "These all do different things." She muttered as another round of attacks bombarded _Garnet Ball._ Then Venus shook her head _focus._ "On three,” she ordered. “We spread out. Isolate one if you can. Each of us gets a mark. Mars, that one spewing ice is yours. Jupiter."

"The lightning one is mine."

"No, take the water one," Venus ordered. "The lightning."

"Ought to be me," Uranus volunteered. "I'll out run it."

"Have Neptune and Mercury handle the..." Fire, faster than the rest of the golems, roared as it licked around their shield again. "That one."

"They're on it," Uranus said. Up the street, _Aqua Rhapsody_ and _Deep Submerge_ were surging together towards their assailants.

"Get ready to scramble," Venus advised them.

"We’ll need your whip," Pluto said. "You'll distract the rest with me."

"Here comes," Jupiter whispered. Half the golems were turning, stepping back as Mercury and Neptune's attacks merged into one, great sphere of water churning with the power of a tsunami. One golem let a burst of dark energy strike it and the sphere burst, a wave crashing into the earthen creatures, knocking then down and dragging them into the tidal swell.

_"Now!"_

_Garnet Ball_ vanished as the water attack flooded the square, and before the nine creatures could re-assemble, the senshi had dispersed: The now-group-of-seven senshi spread out to the edges of the square and readied for their fight.

All the while, on the roof of Puddifoot's, Bellatrix giggled and watched.

~ _SMH_ ~

Inside Puddifoot’s, everyone was on their feet, clustering near the door and the windows. Zacharius had just tried to _Depulso_ himself through one, and been bounced back onto the floor for his effort. Whomever had locked them in had quickly wised to their tricks.

“Is this an attack? Susan Bones fretted aloud to Hannah Abbott and several of their friends.

No one deigned to answer her. No one needed too. The screaming coming from upstairs, and the sounds of spellfire were enough judge. All of them on the ground floor were frozen in place, staring up at the ceiling.

Several people gasped upstairs. Someone shouted something indistinct, words lost in a fresh round of screaming and the stampede of feet towards the staircase.

Then it all cut off abruptly, the terrible noise at once a terrible silence. Susan grabbed Hannah’s arm as their whole group drew closer together.

“The-they’re gonna come down here,” Smith stuttered as his date dragged him underneath their over-turned table.

“We need to hide,” Usagi Tsukino’s voice drew eyes from around the room when she spoke – in a calm tone entirely out of place with the panic the rest of them were feeling.

Then again she looked out of place too: standing in the middle of the room, not huddled near a wall, and facing the staircase. She looked away from the stairs at everyone around the room. “ _Hide_ !”

 _That_ prompted most people to move: scrambling to stack chairs and tables high enough to obscure several people, or to untie the heavy curtains on either side of the windows. Susan was trying to remember the damn disillusionment charm – she could get the incantation fine, but not even Aunt Amelia could solve her trouble with the complex wand movement. She scanned the room. There was nowhere big enough for all her friends, unless they could stretch one of the larger tablecloths. "I hope those special aurors show up soon," Susan whispered. "Here – someone help me with this," she said, casting an engorgement charm on the nearest tablecloth."

"The ones from the Quidditch match?" Terry Boot asked.

"And the Department of Mysteries," Susan’s date added. "Why are they taking so long?"

"I don't know," Susan said as she and Terry got the tablecloth in order. She charmed it to stick to the floor so whatever was upstairs wouldn't lift it up. "Come on, everybody under... _Hannah!"_ she nagged, leaving Terry and her date to duck under the table and going to grab Hannah – who hadn’t even seemed to notice their plan. She was staring off in space. "Hannah what's wrong with you? _Come on_ ," Susan said, dragging her by the arm towards their hiding place.

"Huh?" Hannah blinked, following along.

"Did someone just curse you?" Susan asked, lifting the tablecloth and pushing Hannah towards it.

"No," Hannah whispered as they crouched under the table. She shuffled over to peak out the one gap left in the tablecloth. "Just realized something."

"What?"

 _How did I never realize before?_ Hannah thought, focusing on Usagi across the cafe, helping other students create hiding places, looking around more carefully than anyone else, all with her wand hand clutching tightly to the locket she'd pulled from under her shirt.

 _"They're not aurors,_ " her brother Timothy had told her over Christmas. _"They're something... more than Aurors."_

 _"Who are the rest?_ " she'd asked. " _I know there's Meioh, those two Slytherins, and Hotaru, but.._."

Timothy had shaken his head. " _I shouldn't tell you,_ " Timothy said. " _It's better off a secret – some magic that does it. Bloody powerful too cause now I've seen them turn back to normal, now it seems so obvious."_

 _So obvious..._ his words echoed in Hannah’s head as she stared at Usagi, who was looking all around the room for a hiding spot of her own, from whoever was upstairs.

 _Or maybe from us,_ Hannah thought. _To hide her secret…_

 _"Hannah?"_ Susan shook her again.

 _I wonder why I never noticed the crescent and star on her locket before,_ Hannah thought as she lifted her wand. "Sorry," she told Susan. "I’m um, was trying to remember something that might help."

 _Please be who I think you are,_ Hannah thought of Usagi as something creaked on the stairs. She concentrated on the spell they'd learned last year in Herbology. _"Cumulolus,_ " she whispered, aiming deliberately at the floor.

A spritz of mist came out of her wand, rolling across the floor of the cafe and, once it hit the walls, billowing upwards.

It had happened by accident in Herbology last year – Neville'd gotten knocked over by a plant mid-casting. Pointed at the ceiling, it would've created a fine layer of clouds to shower rain down on an enclosed space.

But pointed at the ground, with so much room to rise, the clouds grew higher and higher, soon they would fill the whole room in a dense, impenetrable fog.

"Nice one!" Terry cheered, leaning in to kiss her cheek as the fog rose.

Hannah grinned, watching the fog roll upwards, over the height of the tables and chairs. She looked at Usagi's face as it grew up around her shoulders, and saw her smirk as she raised her locket over her head.

Once the fog had completely filled the room, there was a bright flash and a brief puff of wind as Sailor Moon flexed her wings. She promptly tucked them in behind her, readying for a fight. Then she closed her eyes. There was still something creaking on the stairs. And a whisper, like a cloak or a robe, slipping along the railing.

Not only that, she raised her scepter, but a very dark presence was making its way down from the upper floor.

 _"Oh how clever_ ," a man's voice whispered through the fog. _"Trying to blind me."_

Sailor Moon clutched her scepter tighter, continuing to glare in the direction of the stairs. Hannah's fog began to hum as another spell vibrated through it. A chorus of chimes filled the room as the water droplets in the fog froze and shattered. The whole cloud collapsed as powder-fine snow onto the wood floor of the cafe, beginning around Sailor Moon and spreading to every corner of the room.

When the staircase was revealed, so to was the figure descending the stairs, appearing as white as the snow that was drifting to the floor: from the cloak that covered most of his face and ghosted against the edges of the stairs, to the white knuckles of his thin-fingered hands, and to the slippers on his feet. He left no footprints, Sailor Moon saw as she glared towards him.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

He chuckled. "Who you are, is the more interesting question," he said and sighed. "Imagine, the lengths I went to hide myself, which if I am correct are little more than a side-effect of your power." He drew his hands together, tucking them into his sleeves. When he drew them out, there was a crystal ball between them. "Power I can locate, but not identify. And yours _is_ a remarkable power, one which you have somehow, managed to use more responsibly that those guardians of your outer worlds." In his crystal ball, she saw the faces of the outer senshi flicker through. "You can't imagine my delight last year when you entered our world so ill prepared. To see real names beside those mythic titles you carry. The youngest was so obvious." His crystal ball lingered on Hotaru's face. "Even after you realized how to glamour your identities, even then I knew her. No magic could possibly disguise the nature of that glaive." He looked up. "But then of course, I was faced with the realization that those whose magic was taking over Tokyo were not witches of any comparable caliber to my kind… but merely mundane, girls, with troubled pasts." He smirked. "Troubled fathers,"

Sailor Moon's nostrils flared. "You _did_ lead Lestrange to Mr. Tomoe!"

"But of course," he said, feet leaving the ground as he began to circle the room. "What better way to test whether I could truly block your pesky Guardian of Time?" He appeared suddenly at her elbow and she jumped. "And then there's you: I have oft wondered what witch it was that controlled so much ancient power." His mouth turned down in an angry frown. "Or what mundane child, is perhaps what I have been missing. Hiding in Azu-Juuban all these years, of all improbable places."

"You've been watching us!?"

"For a while," he said nonchalantly. "You were the fascination of my formative years after all, the inspiration for my work whether my world appreciated it or not...”

"And then you entered _my_ world," he said. "Practiced my magic – magic which is the birthright only of Earth's chosen, and yet you wield it as easily as our best sorcerers do."

"Now I know why you get along with tall, dark and nose-less," Sailor Moon muttered.

"Get along," he chuckled again. "Such a... childish assumption. You belie your real age like that. Riddle is, shall we say, aligned with my goals, though his are quite crude, shortsighted on the whole. He lacks vision. But," he curled his lips away from his teeth as he grinned. "He was convenient, as he provided the means and opportunity for us to meet. Which is something I have been trying to orchestrate for many a year." And then he rushed close to her again, and held out a hand. "Nice to meet you."

She didn't take his hand. Rather, she stepped back, preparing to use her scepter. And he turned to ash, retreating. She turned round looking for him.

 _"Sailor Moon,_ " his voice whispered from above. She looked up. " _Savior of the Earth_." He was seated on an arm of the cafe's silver chandelier. _"Destroyer of Demons."_ She jumped as he took out his glowing crystal ball, which projected an image on all four of the walls and the floor and ceiling: herself three years prior, diving into Pharoah 90 and destroying it from within.

"Marvelous Power," he whispered, seeming to stare at her from under his hood. "Power you have horded for yourself."

"What are you talking about!" she snapped, flapping her wings and flying up so she was level with him.

The wizard hummed and drifted around the edge of the cafe, over the tops of many students hiding places. He assessed her as she turned, tracking him. Sailor Moon shivered as she watched his foot pass through an overturned chair.

"I come here," he said. "As a researcher – an overly curious academic." He chuckled. "I wish to have a conversation."

"Then we can have it alone," she said.  "And you can let everyone else leave."

"I think not," he said, and he crooked his left hand in a beckoning gesture.

There was the scrape of a chair across the floor. And a squawk as a fourth year Ravenclaw was dragged out of his hiding spot by the neck of his robe. He was lifted into the air, whimpering as the wizard curled his hand around the back of the boy's robes. "They'll not be harmed," the wizard said. "But I have observed that your opponents see better results when they come to speak with you bearing..." He smirked as the boy yelped, twitching like he'd been shocked. "Collateral."

Sailor Moon bit her lip, glancing out the broken front window. She could see the shimmer of the shield imprisoning them and the flashes of magic outside that said her senshi were fighting just beyond the threshold.

"If this one isn't important enough," the wizard offered. "Consider how many I have upstairs." He nodded towards the fighting outside. "You wish to stall me and protect them all. And I believe you'll see as I do, that the best way to stall me, is to talk."  
Sailor Moon gritted her teeth and lowered the scepter just a bit. "Fine – let's."

~ _SMH_ ~

The basement of the Hog’s Head hadn’t remained empty for long. Within minutes of Pluto leaving Neville there, the space had filled with students and other Hogsmeade shoppers. It’d consequently been easy to distract himself from what he knew was happening in the square, and at Puddifoot’s, when there were so many other things to do. Neville’d had to sort out a group of third years first off, all of whom were covered in soot and who didn’t know the spell to remove it. Then he’d wound up lighting a number of candles that they could spread around the space. He’d noticed a few people with broken limbs then too, and had just started trying to get anyone hurt to sit by the basement stairs, when he heard the bell on the pub door chime and then the familiar sound of Ron’s and Jadeite’s cursing from the ground floor.

"It's not broken," he assured the fourth year whose wrist he'd been wrapping. "Just... go sit down with that group that needs Mme. Pomfrey, okay." He pointed the younger student to the near right hand corner of the room. And then he bolted up the stairs towards Ron and Jadeite’s voices.  
Neville had figured they'd been out fighting, but when he'd initially charged up to the ground floor to try to help outside, he'd found the street full of smoke and flaring with spellfire, far to dangerous to venture out into alone. (Especially as he'd forgotten the bubblehead charm.)

"Jadeite!" he gasped as he rushed up the basement stairs to the ground floor, where the injured aurors were congregating. All four of his friends were there: Luna wrapping a bandage around Ron's head, Hermione, hair drawn away from her face, the edges a bit singed, talking to an Auror and the barkeep, and Jadeite, their white and red uniform powdered with smoke and dirt, leaning out the open doorway.

"Gin- _Jadeite_ get in here," Ron snapped. "Oi – Neville!"

"Did you come from Zonko’s?" Neville asked. Jadeite and Luna would've been stationed there. "Is the fire out?"

"Fire's been out for a while," Ron said as Jadeite made their way over. He rubbed his forehead over the bandage Luna's just finished. "Or might as well have been after Mercury and Neptune flooded the basement.

"There's still steam coming up through the floor from whatever caused it," Jadeite said. "But it's covered." They spun round. "Are they here – I thought they'd be guarding the students... or rounding up the death eaters."

"You mean they're still in the square?" Neville bit his lip.

"What's in the square?" Luna asked as Neville checked his watch.

13:27.

 _It's been 20 minutes and they're still at it_. Neville bit his lip. Even if they hadn’t gotten into Puddifoot’s yet, he'd at least assumed all of them together would scare off Lestrange... _unless she's gone more crazy..._

"Nev?" Jadeite nudged him with their foot. "How'd you get over here from Puddifoot's?"

"Pluto," he answered. "I-I thought they'd be done by now." He stared at his watch. "Usagi's... still inside."

"D'you run out on your date?"

" _RONALD!_ " Hermione snapped, having finished her conversation and made her way over.

"She saved me," Neville muttered. And he looked at Jadeite. "She's trapped inside Puddifoot’s. And Lestrange is guarding it."

Jadeite stiffened.

"Lestrange wouldn’t be able to fight all of them," Luna said. "Unless she's got help of course. She does have that awful penchant for manipulating creatures."

"She's _here_ ," Hermione balked, and looked round at the wood walls of the pub. "Wards," she said. "We need more wards."

"I um..." Neville swallowed, he'd just caught a glimpse out the window. "The smoke's gone."

"Yah they've got most of the death eaters fighting down the road," Ron offered.

"So... so it's safe to leave?"

Hermione, Ron and Jadeite traded looks.

Luna was nodding. "I expect so," she said. "If you want to go and see what's happening in the square,”

"I do," Neville said.

"I'll go with you," Jadeite said.

"And me," Luna added, causing Hermione to give her a startled look and Ron a smile of approval. "Well I do know a lot about creatures," she said when Jadeite looked about to protest. "If Lestrange has brought any, I could be helpful."

"You're always helpful Luna," Neville said. "But it is dangerous." He bit his lip. "I just need to see how their fight is going."

"Yah, but if Lestrange see's you, you're toast, mate," Ron said.

"That is true – _wait!_ " Hermione's hands darted to her cloak, and she pulled a silvery bundle out of the inner pocket. "Harry gave it to me this morning," Hermione explained as she passed the flowing, shimmering material of the invisibility cloak into Neville's hands. "Luna's small like Harry – all three of you might fit under it."  
"Wait!" Ron gaped. "We have to go too – Jadeite's going."

"Jadeite is a knight," They grumbled, having justified their place in the war too many times to their mother and brothers.

"And we're prefects," Hermione reminded Ron. "And Mcgonagall told us to look after everyone." She pointed Ron towards the front door. "Now help me put up wards."

Ron sighed, and as they walked with him to the door, he clasped Neville, Luna, and lastly Jadeite on the shoulder. " _BE_ careful," he stressed. "And-And _don'_ t do what Harry would do."

"You mean what you and Harry would do," Jadeite quipped as they pulled open the front door and, ahead of Neville and Luna, ducked outside.

“We’ll look after them,” Luna promised Ron as she too stepped out onto the street. Neville nodded, and Ron clasped his arm as he left.

“Good Luck, Mate,” he said, releasing Neville’s arm and waving at them as Jadeite closed the door.

“This way,” Jadeite said as Neville threw the cloak around the three of them. Jadeite led them under the awning of the pub, away from the sounds of spellfire. “Let’s see what’s up.”

~ _SMH_ ~

" _VENUS LOVE CHAIN ENCIRCLE!_ " The attack snapped around the square, once, twice, thrice. It wrapped round the five golems advancing on them – faster than their heavy composition should have allowed, and lassoed all four together round their knees.

 _"Dead Scream!_ "

 _"Deep Submerge_!"

The two attacks swamped the four golems before they could attack. At the same time, a few meters away, Jupiter's _Supreme Thunder_ struck another over the head, and Mercury turned a sixth from a muscled, 10 foot figure into a harmless slick of mud across the cobblestones.

" _Love and Beauty Shock_!" Venus shouted then, loosing her other signature attack on the Golem Uranus was dueling with her swords. That one exploded in a rain of dirt, and _Love and Beauty_ _Shock_ streaked right through it, and into the last remaining golem, which was chasing mars. While her fire had done little more than cook it into clay, Venus attack quickly shattered it.

"Quick the Parchment!" Mercury said, noting the things, which seemed to control each golem, were shooting up into the air.

"On it!" Mars shouted, jumping up in the air with her spear spinning, amethyst flames burning at both ends.

Finally something for her powers to do…

 _"Mars Burning Mandela!_ " she cried, watching fireballs spin off the spear and dart towards the glowing bits of parchment. They hit all nine.

 _"Nice!_ " Jupiter shouted as she alighted on the ground.

But a giggle from Lestrange interrupted their celebration. She cast a spell – orange – that raced away from her wand in a wave that all of the senshi had to duck or jump.

By the time they landed together in square, streams of gravel and dirt were rushing into the air all around them.

 _"WHAT!”_ Mars gaped. All nine bits of parchment were floating intact overhead, not even burnt, and new earthen bodies were forming around them.

 _"Love and Beauty SHOCK_!" Venus shouted, but the nine reforming golems shot up further into the air, out of reach of her spell. It managed to catch ones forming leg, which was reforming again almost immediately.

"Never could be easy, could it?" Uranus murmured, power flooding both her swords.

Their nine foes did not drop right to the ground this time. Much to all of their frustration, they began to fly: circling the senshi from above.

One of the taller ones cracked opened its mouth as its eye sockets glowed green.

" _Oh no you don'_ t!" Jupiter shouted, leaping up with her lightning rod and hammer extended. She caught the lightning the golem shot, gritting her teeth as she absorbed it, and directed it at several of their other flying foes.

Two exploded. One escaped. Two more shot attacks – purple and dark red – towards the senshi on the ground.

Jupiter landed clutching her head, glaring over at the death eater currently in stitches on the roof of Puddifoot’s. "You're laughing now," Jupiter grumbled. "Wait till we get Sailor Moon out here."

"We've got to create an opening first," Venus said. "Come on, let’s keep them far enough away to get to Lestrange, lets try to fight them to the other side of the square.”

"They're wising up to that..." Mercury warned. And they were. One, which had been causing violent bursts of wind when it clapped its hands, was now hovering in front of Lestrange.

 _Damnit,_ Venus thought.

"We'll try your plan first," Pluto said. "See if we can't keep most of them corralled together."

"Gotta ground them first," Uranus suggested, and her swords chimed as she crossed them and shouted " _Space Turbulence!"_

Venus made to pursue the golems that had dodged the attack, sparing a glance for Puddifoot’s as she moved. It was too dark in the cafe to see anyone inside. _We'll get in there soon Sailor Moon,_ she promised herself. _But I hope you're faring better in there than we are out here._

~ _SMH_ ~

They had easily made it to the square, and were now lingering just around the corner from it: Jadeite, Neville, and Luna all crammed under the invisibility cloak and using the wall of Honeydukes to hide from the occasional attacks that ricocheted away from the senshi’s battle. In the square, they watched a joint attack from Mars and Jupiter cook and shatter five of the golems. Another from Mercury felled four in a sweeping, glacial blue wave.  In the wake of those, Neptune and Uranus made a break for Lestrange, only for her to apparate away as she twiddled her fingers at them. Their twin attacks smashed against Puddifoot’s, revealing a dark shield that shimmered as it was disturbed.

"That covers the whole building," Jadeite murmured. "Merlin… We need Bill." They watched as several of the senshi, together, combined their attacks and aimed them at the nine bits of parchment left over from the golems. But the blast – bright enough that they covered their eyes even under the cloak – yielded no result. And streams of dirt were already rushing up into the air to reform their foes. Jadeite swore. “And _they_ need Usagi.”

"But she's stuck in there!" Neville exploded. "Behind whatever… ward that is."

"I’ve seen magic like that before," Luna whispered and "On Daddy’s trips. When – ahh!" she jumped as Jadeite's sword came up and blocked a stone that Uranus and one of the golems had just blasted out of the ground. "To reach the Snorkack's breeding grounds," Luna continued.   
"We need Bill," Jadeite reiterated, not listening to her. “Only cursebreakers know how to beat wards."

“Or an Auror,” Neville said back, biting his lip. “But they’re all busy with...”

“I think I saw Mme. Bones over by…”

“ _Wait_ ,” Luna hissed, elbowing the both of them. They both looked down at her under the cloak. She took a breath. “ _I_ can,” she insisted.

_“Huh?”_

"Daddy and I have travelled all over on expeditions," Luna shrugged. "People weren't always receptive to letting us search where we pleased, but it wasn’t as if the creatures abided by borders."

“Alright then,” Jadeite said. “Do the spell.”

"I can't from here," Luna whispered and pointed across the square at Puddifoot’s. "We'd need to move closer to the building."

“ _But Lestrange is over there_ ,” Jadeite hissed. “Nu-uh. No way. We’re getting an auror.”

"They're just as afraid of her," Neville said. He gulped.

Out in the square, a golem opened its palms and filled them with balls of deep red light, these swelled rapidly to three times their size and then the creature threw them to the left and right – aiming straight at Venus and Pluto.  
Jadeite hissed, and Luna and Neville flinched as the Garnet Rod swung up to counter one attack. The resultant explosion kicked up a fog across an entire third of the square, even engulfing the ruined flowerbeds around the central clock.

At the same time, Uranus leapt in front of Venus. The deep red energy ball struck her crossed swords, metal chiming on metal. The energy pressed into the weapons until it exhausted itself and vanished, immediately after, Uranus wobbled and dropped to her knees.

 _There's no time to get the aurors,_ Neville thought. _They need Usagi now._ He swallowed the lump in his throat. "We have to do it. The aurors would call it too dangerous anyways." He adjusted the invisibility cloak. "Lets go."

Jadeite grabbed both their arms as they both attempted to walk right across the wide-open square on the fringes of the battle. “Wait.” And they began to back up, into a nearby alley. “Follow my lead.”

It took some maneuvering: navigating not through wide, main streets, but through narrow, cluttered alleys. But Jadeite was insistent, and Neville and Luna hardly disagreed – Lestrange was less likely to be looking down here.

And even then, under the cloak and off the main roads, the stayed pressed close to the back walls of the shops. Neville had to remind himself over and over that Lestrange couldn’t see through the roofs and walls, and certainly not through the cloak. But an irrational part of him, informed by the version of her that lurked within in his nightmares, still couldn’t put such skills past her.

When they reached Puddifoot’s they, all three, pressed themselves against the chimney, under the edge of the roof

And Jadeite looked down. Their feet, even with Neville crouching, were peaking out beneath the hem of the cloak. “Cloak’s too small,” they said. “Lestrange is right over us, she’ll notice. And they pointed their sword at the backdoor of the neighboring shop. “ _Alohomora.”_

It popped open.

“Neville,” Jadeite whispered. “We’re going to walk you to the door. Go in there until the fighting is done.”

“Why me?”

 _“Because she’s got it out for you!”_ Jadeite hissed back. “I’ll stay out here with Luna until we get the ward down, and then she’ll hide in there with you too.” They glanced up as two bright flashes of light lit up the alley – the result of two attacks being let off in the main square. “I’ll go help them after that.”

“It looks like they need you now,” Luna whispered, noting the red fire flickering around Jadeite’s clenching fists. “You should help them.”

“ _Yes,_ but,” Jadeite bit their lip as something the square exploded again, and Lestrange cackled.

“Leave us here with the cloak,” Luna said. “We’ll be alright.”

“But Lestrange.”

“Sh-she’s all the way up on the roof,” Neville whispered. He gulped. _She’s all the way up on the roof._ “We can get the ward down.” And he laughed a little, looking up through the cloak at the edge of the roof that covered their heads. “How’s she gonna see us.”

Jadeite took a breath and shook their head. “I shouldn’t…” but another explosion of cobblestones in the square distracted them.

Neville straightened up, holding his hand with his wand over his heart. “I can guard Luna.”

“I can’t let you.”

“Course you can,” Neville squared his shoulders. "I’ve been practicing… and I know more defense spells than you."

Jadeite frowned at him. "But…”

"And they need you out there," Neville whispered.

"But _Lestrange_."

"Can’t see us down here," Neville whispered, it came out a little more confidently the second time, even if he was still convincing himself. "And I’d rather stay here and help, than hide in there,” he pointed to the shop Jadeite had opened. “And do nothing."

Jadeite made a face. "Don't know why you ever thought you were a bad Gryffindor." And they lifted the cloak, stepping out into the alley. They paused.

“What?”

But Jadeite shook their head, and un-clipped their sword from their hip. They unsheathed it, and held it out to Neville. “Just in case you need it,” they said, and backed further away as Neville took the sword. Jadeite glanced up towards Puddifoot’s roof. Lestrange was nowhere near them. They looked at the spot where Neville and Luna were under the cloak. With just two of them, it covered their feet now. Jadeite sighed and pointed to the neighboring shop with the opened door. “Get the ward down, and then get in there.” They glared at where they thought Neville’s head ought to be. _“Don’t_ do what Harry would do.”

And they ran off, emerging into the square by casting _Noble Flame_ at the closest golem. They dodged a red spell shot off the rooftop as they did.

Neville gulped and turned as he felt Luna move beside him. She’d pressed her forehead and left hand to the stone wall. Her wand was tapping quietly against the stones.

“How long will this take?”

“A little while,” Luna whispered. “I need to know what kind of ward it is, then I can crack it.” And then her voice lowered. In that deeper tone, the words of an incantation Neville couldn’t make sense of left her lips. Her wand continued dancing over the stones.

Neville swallowed a sigh, looking out towards the battle, and up at the roof, and then down at Luna again. He held his wand and Jadeite’s sword close, and hoped like hell Luna’d be done quickly.

~ _SMH_ ~

“Your power’s quite infamous you know,” the Wizard told Sailor Moon as they circled each other around the dining room in Puddifoot’s. “At least in some myths.” He let his crystal ball project a new image on all the walls and floors and ceilings: parchment by the look of it, with characters Sailor Moon didn’t recognize for the life of her.

But the picture was clear. There was Queen Serenity – with a crescent moon adorning the bodice of her dress, presenting a sword and mirror to two kneeling soldiers.

“Freely gifted to your favoured…” Another image, Usagi caught her breath, of the old Moon wand imprisoning Nehelenia in the mirror. “Used with quite a vengeance on those who sleight you.” The image changed once more, to wix photo this time, of a bright explosion over an icy tundra. She recognized the blast patterns in the ice. The remains of five DD girls which had nearly been her senshi’s tombs. “Capable of feats impossible for modern magic.” He lingered on that last image. “That restorative ability… is it one you all share… Or is only your power?”

Sailor Moon swallowed, eyes on the Ravenclaw boy that the wizard was holding hostage. How could she free him? “It’s only my power,” she said.

 _I could free him with the tiara,_ she thought, flexing her free hand. She raised it a bit of the way towards her head and lowered it, clenching her fist. _Why did you have to get rid of the tiara?_ She demanded of her Eternal transformation. _That was useful_!

“Is it now?” he hummed, and his crystal ball flashed again. “ _Then the Silence Glaive’s roll here…”_

Another photo, taken from much farther away than she’d been on that day. Herself carrying a baby Hotaru amid the rubble of the delta, and Neptune coming forwards to take her.

Sailor Moon swallowed. “That-that was all me.” She admitted, mind spinning. Whose idea had it been to get rid of her tiara? “Actually that was an accident,” she hoped a joke would make him drop his guard. “I – I mean I guess most babies are accidents, but maybe not in the same way – hehe…”

His mouth didn’t even twitch.

 _Luna._ It had _definitely_ been Luna. She’d made all sorts of Sailor Moon’s wands and brooches appear and disappear after all. She’d definitely put the tiara in whatever… black hole those came out of. _It is definitely your fault,_ Sailor Moon decided as she watched the images all over the café change again. _You could just let me keep things – I almost never lose them._

The newest image was one taken at the shrine. Sailor Moon shivered as she watched Mars and Venus, courtesy of Galaxia, disintegrate, and their sailor crystals disappear. “Do we – ah – have to cover this one?” she asked the wizard, still flexing her free hand by her side.

_How did Luna summon all her gadgets?_

“Oh but this was the most interesting,” the wizard whispered. “Finally I had some congruity to my own magic.” And when the loop of action in the wizarding image replayed, he zoomed in on the two senshi, on their sailor crystals. “Remind you of anything?”

She gulped. Stall. She needed to stall. Could she just _Accio_ her tiara? “Er… jewellery?”

“Old magic _,”_ the Wizard whispered, “The kind that survives as myth today. There’s only a few examples of it left… I believe you are familiar with some.” And he unfurled his hand.

Her breath caught as he revealed Slytherin’s locket – and the blue-green stone gleaming in the light from the crystal ball. “Zoisite,” she whispered.

“I’d had an inkling about he and the others when I first encountered them with you,” he whispered. “Most wizards call what they are myths. It wasn’t until I gained access to Elysion –”

“You never,” she shot back. “Helios would never let you in there.”

“You mean your agent there? Of course not,” the Wizard smirked. “Fortunately with cooperation, one can accomplish things not otherwise possible. In that case, I was permitted to visit whilst he was…” the image on all the walls changed to one of Helios, when he’d been imprisoned in Nehelenia’s trap. “Otherwise occupied.”

“Nehelenia,” she murmured. Accio wasn’t working. _What else_. How was Luna able to just _conjure_ things. _She’s just like Mcgonagall._

“We got along, as you might say,” the Wizard chuckled. “I digress… Zoisite, his fellows, they’re Wix who have connected themselves with a suitable gem or stone, and are thereafter granted… extraordinary abilities… as seers, or elementals, or as healers. Most remarkably though is that they could remain behind, in one way or another, to advise further generations. The most powerful could even return from the dead.” He laughed. “In another time I had dismissed it as merely a myth because of that,” he let Zoisite’s locket dangle in the air. “Until I found them… and you.”

“That’s different though,” Sailor Moon said. _What was the spell_?

“How?” he asked, sounding genuinely curious.

“It-just… _I don’t know_.” _Why don’t I pay more attention in class???_ she thought, still trying to think of the spell for conjuring things.

“It is only that,” the Wizard said, “Magic such as theirs vanished across the world and into myth quite long ago. A thousand years… give or take. These four of Elysion were the last with such power, the magic that would have helped create them was lost to most of us.”

“Well you know maybe Jadeite knows,” Sailor Moon said. _I need that tiara!_ The spell was the tip of her tongue. “Or Zoisite… if you let me see the locket, I could wake him.”

“Nice try,” the Wizard said. “No, I am more interested in how _you_ came by that power.” His mouth turned down in a frown. “Because every record says all that magic our people lost… they lost it to you,” he said. “The White Moon.”

Sailor Moon huffed, the feathers of her wings ruffled indignantly. “Listen Buddy,” She said, switching her sceptre to her left hand and lowered her right hand to her side so it was slightly behind her. She had recalled the spell, and was repeating it over and over in her head. She could feel the magic in her palm. “I don’t know what half-baked campfire stories you got from talking to everyone whose butt I’ve ever kicked, but I did _not_ steal my magic from anyone.” She flew to far corner of the room so he would not see what she intended. “Now put him down… _both_ of them,” she amended. “And let us go.”

“You have to most _naïve_ ideas of how negotiation works.”

“Negotiation?” she grinned. Her right hand curled round the tiara that now weighed down her palm. “Huh, I meant that as a threat. _Oh well!_ ” And, twirling the sceptre to feign an attack, she sent the tiara boomeranging to the right. _“Moon Tiara MAGIC_!”

The Wizard didn’t get out of the way in time, but he was fast. He vanished Zoisite’s locket with a twist of his hand. Her tiara whizzed right through his palm, and sliced through the back of the Ravenclaw hostage’s robes. The boy dropped down onto the floor. And Sailor Moon flew down to him, raising her sceptre. “ _Protego Maxima!”_

The bright, silvery shield filled the room, backing the wizard into the corner with the stairs. She saw several students peak out from their hiding places, smirking.

She glared at the Wizard. He loomed overhead, face still obscured by his cloak.

“You think you’ve got a stalemate?” he mused. “Did you forget?”

“Forget what?” she snapped.

“About the others upstairs.” And he snapped his fingers.

Above, they heard the steady beat of many footsteps, as those diners who’d screamed from the upper-floor marched down to the ground floor. Sailor Moon frowned, and then gasped as the first bunch tried to walk right into her shield. She shrunk it to accommodate them as fifteen people piled down the stairs and into the corner of the room.

They all had their wands raised, and a glazed over expression that suggested the reason the fighting upstairs had stopped so suddenly.

_He imperioed them…_

“Attack,” the Wizard ordered, and Sailor Moon gasped as all of them, as once, began hurtling spells at her shield.

She gritted her teeth and tightened her grip on the sceptre. She could outlast this. She glanced out the window again. There was still heavy fighting out in the square.

 _Come on you guys,_ she thought as she focused on maintaining her shield. _I need help in here_.

~ _SMH_ ~

Behind Puddifoot’s, Neville was torn between watching the edge of the roof for Lestrange, whom he could hear apparating every so often to dodge attacks from the senshi, and with looking out on the square, where it was clear the battle was still raging strong.

He saw a blur of white and red tumble to the ground out the other end of the alley and his heart leapt into his throat. _Jadeite or Mars,_ he thought.

“They’re alright,” Luna startled him as spoke. He jumped and had to adjust the cloak around them when it slipped off his head.

Luna rose to her feet, not a thought for the dust now imprinted on her robes. She touched Neville’s arm. “If we can help with this ward,” Luna reminded him. “They don’t have to fight much longer.”

“Yeah. Yeah, okay.” He turned to look at her, their foreheads brushing under the invisibility cloak. “Did you figure out what kind of ward it is?”

Luna nodded. “It’s an old Druid ward,” she said. “This one combines fortification with barring and trapping.” She brushed the wall. “Azkaban’s got a similar one, I believe. And we’ve seen them on enclosures and things.”

“Can you break it?”

“Oh breaking it is easy,” Luna assured him, their voices well masked by the sounds of the fighting close by. “That’s the weakness of Druid wards, you see, you’ve got to anchor them with a keystone.”

“A what?”

“Usually a gem. Quartz is good, though I suppose this one’s too dark to anchor with a quartz.” She shook her head. “Anyways, it’s usually put on the outside of the structure somewhere.”

Neville looked around. “But – but we would’ve seen it on the walls.”

“Oh that wouldn’t be a good place to put one.” Luna said. “Usually they’re hard to reach: put under a foundation, say, or between some stones.”

Neville frowned. “But… but we can’t get _under_ the building.”

“This one’s not underneath,” Luna assured him. “It’s going to be much easier to get to.” She pointed up. “It’s in the chimney.”

Neville blinked, looking between the chimney and Luna, and back. “It’s _on the roof_.”

_With Lestrange…_

Luna nodded. “I’ll just… go up and get the stone and break –”

“ _Luna_!” he gaped.

She blinked up at him, tilting her head to the side. “There isn’t another way to do it,” she said. “I’m sure Daddy would say otherwise, but he also says it’s bothersome to be so practical.” She smiled at Neville. “But I’ll have to take the cloak with me, so you ought to go hide inside that shop there.”

“I – d’you _realize_ who’s up there?” Neville gaped, feet still planted in place.

Luna nodded. “Obviously, I said I needed the cloak.”

“And you’re… you’re not scared?”

Luna paused for a moment, and let her eyes fall on Jadeite’s sword. “It’s not just you and Jadeite who can be brave, you know,” she said. “Sometimes you don’t get the choice whether you want to be scared or not.” She closed her eyes and nodded. “I need to break the keystone.” She repeated quite calmly. “My friends need me to do that.” And she reached out and grabbed his hands, giving him a bright-eyed, beaming smile. “And I need my friends.”

Neville couldn’t help smiling back. He looked up at the roof. “Okay.” He said. “Let’s get up there.”

She tilted her head to the other side. “You don’t need to go.”

“Well you can’t go up there alone!”

She blinked, and stared at him for a few seconds, still smiling a small, pensive smile. “But Neville… Are you ready for that?”

“ _Are you ready to face Lestrange?”_ Pluto had asked him only a half hour ago. He gulped.

He looked up at the roof’s edge.

He was particularly grateful to have his parents back and lucid in that moment, as he recalled something his mother had said over New Years when he’d wondered why she and his father had joined the Order so young.

 _“Had to, didn’t we?”_ she’d said. “ _Weren’t sure it would help – was terrified out of my mind that first year or two…_

_“But you either do something or nothing. And nothing wasn’t an option. So we tried.”_

Neville swallowed again, trying to ignore how dry his throat was, as he answered Luna. “No, I’m not ready.” He took a deep breath. “But I can try.” He pointed up. “Let’s go.”

Luna smiled, and squeezed his hand.

Getting up to the roof was unnervingly easy. Luna, either learned from another of her adventures in Magizoology or due simply to her own whimsical nature, was decidedly good at all manner of levitation charms. For Neville’s part, he thanked all his lucky stars and especially Mcgonagall that he had continued with Charms and could now cast some simpler ones, namely the muffling charm, without a word. Between he and Luna, they alighted on the roof without even the scrape of their shoes on the shingles to alert Lestrange.

Not that she was looking: they could just see the top of her hair where she sat on the opposite edge of the roof. Neville saw, and immediately trained his shaking wand on the back of her head.

But Luna grabbed his hand. Neville turned and watched her shake her head just slightly, trying not to rustle their cloak. Luna pointed to her eyes.

It took Neville a moment to remember. Luna could see some magics – like shields.

Lestrange was shielded then. _Of course she is._ Neville flushed. She was crazy, not stupid.

Luna tugged on his hand, hers, he noticed, had grown sweaty. She led him the few steps over to the chimney, where (he squinted) something was casting a dim, green glow onto the insides of the bricks.

Luna stopped just a few inches shy of the chimney and knelt, drawing her wand and beginning to move her lips, the same way she had while examining the ward around Puddifoots. So there was some other ward protecting the keystone then, and she would need to crack it to get through. Neville watched her brows furrow as she tried her best to work silently – a skill which half the sixth years were still struggling with.

 _This is a bad idea,_ Neville thought as he looked down and noticed Luna’s robes had escaped the hem of the invisibility cloak. He hastily adjusted it and snapped his head back up to watch Lestrange. _This is a_ really _bad idea._

 _Harry could do it,_ Neville thought, in a voice that sounded like his grandmother’s. She so enjoyed comparing them. _Dad could do it._

_Usagi could…_

_No,_ Neville managed to smile slightly at the thought, and then had to clamp down on a sudden, absurd urge to giggle. _No, Usagi would’ve tripped on the shingles and blown our cover by now. And she’d have challenged Lestrange to a duel right here._

_She’d get Puddifoot’s free by having Lestrange destroy her own shield with some misfired spell._

_She wouldn’t be scared,_ Neville thought. For he’d seen her face Lestrange just last year, and seen her fight all manner of dark things that would’ve given an auror pause. _Usagi_ could fight Lestrange. Neville was left shaking at the thought. And unlike him, Neville thought as he stared at the back of Lestrange’s head, Usagi’d have a chance to win.

Why had she not escaped Puddifoot’s yet? What evil was trapped inside with her? Neville pondered as he slowly reached down to the sword weighing down his robes. He closed his free right hand around the pommel of Gryffindor’s sword. Jadeite’s sword.

_“Don't know why you ever thought you were a bad Gryffindor."_

Neville shifted from foot to foot, trying to get a good grip on the sword handle with his sweaty hand. Jadeite had perhaps intended the sword to protect them, and perhaps it had enough mind of its own to make up for Neville never having held one in his life. It even felt strange in his grip.

 _Harry could us it when you were twelve,_ his Gran’s voice said. He pleaded with her to shut up.

 _I bet Endymion could use a sword,_ he found himself thinking, for he’d started comparing the two of them.

Neville forced himself to look away from Lestrange then, and check on Luna. He watched her work diligently to breach the shield around the chimney. He looked away after a few minutes, and his stomach twisted as he caught Lestrange laughing at the battle down below.

He imagined what could happen: Lestrange would see them – probably before they’d freed Usagi and the others. He’d use the sword. And he would drop it, or break it, or stab himself with it.

And, _if_ he and Luna managed not to die, Usagi would likely have to save them, and would surely realize she was wasting her time on him and…

 _Stop,_ Neville told himself. _Cross that bridge if you get to it._

 _Maybe Luna and I aren’t the best,_ he thought. _But we’re what we have._

 _I’ve got to try_ , he thought and repeated: _I will try._ And to prove it to himself, Neville squared his shoulders, tightened his grip on Jadeite’s sword, and drew it quickly from its sheath.

 _Shiiing._ He froze. And then flushed once he remembered he’d cast a muffling charm. Lestrange hadn’t even twitched.

Luna was still muttering away, right hand fidgeting against her thigh as her left waved her wand.

Neville considered the sword in his hand. It was lighter than he’d assumed.

_Well that’s something at least._

~ _SMH_ ~

“ _JADEITE NOBLE FLAME!_ ” The bright tongue of red fire was met with a cheer as it merged with Mars Snake Fire and Venus Wink Chain, weaving round five golems and exploding all of them.

“ _Gryffindor bringing the thunder!_ ” Venus yelled.

“Excuse _you_!” Jupiter boomed and with a grunt, tossed a Coconut Cyclone into one of the remaining three foes. She swung her hammer around in time to deflect the latest _Crucio_ that Lestrange had cast from her perch – they hadn’t hit anyone dead-on yet but they were annoying.

Much like _these_ monsters…

“I bring the thunder,” Jupiter said as they watched the six bits of parchment that remained of their foes dart up into the air, too high to hit. Dirt and gravel were already streaming up into the air to reform the golems.

Across the square, Neptune shouted, dodging the golem that was shooting beams of pink hearts out of its palm. That was hardly as destructive as the golem that could cast purple shields and make the street explode with its energy beams, but it was certainly one of the most powerful of the monsters.

“What charms were these made with?” Jadeite muttered.

“Beats me,” Venus quipped. “Pluto and Merc can’t figure it out either.”

“What have you tried for destroying those parchments?”

“Tried everything,” Venus answered, and lashed the Wink chain at the golem Uranus was herding towards them. “No marbles.”

“ _No dice!”_ Mars corrected.

“None of us can even tear them,” Venus continued. “We need Usagi.” She glanced up.

Pluto had jumped into the air and shot a _Dead Scream_ at the Golems that were still reforming overhead. As she flipped and fell towards the ground, Mercury cast an _Aqua Rhapsody_ to intercept the curse Lestrange had just shot at Pluto. The attacks exploded together, sending a shower of freezing rain down on the already icy square.

Amid the rain, Pluto landed between Venus and Mars, and waved Uranus, Neptune, and Mercury over.

While their foes were still reforming, she cast _Garnet Ball._ She glanced up once at Lestrange before addressing them all.

“We need five more minutes,” she told them. “We’ll have Usagi’s help after that. She should be able to manage these.”

“ _Should_?” Neptune whispered.

“I can’t _see_ the golems,” Pluto stressed. “But the energy possessing them is the same as in the dementor Lestrange augmented months ago, and Usagi was able to defeat that.”

“ _With Saturn,”_ Uranus muttered. “Should we…”

“Ideally,” Pluto said. “But she’s not…” she sighed.

She was having trouble seeing where Hotaru was at the moment, which meant she might be around one of those hidden from her sight.

 _Could it be Draco?_ She mused and shook her head.

“It’s unwise to send a patronus for her at the moment,” Pluto told her friends. She looked up at the golems – all nine nearly finished reforming. “I believe Sailor Moon will still manage these on her own.”

“And she’ll be out in five minutes?” Mars asked. “Can you see what she’s fighting in there.”

“She doesn’t have to,” Jadeite said and looked up at Pluto with a grin. “It’s Neville and Luna, right? They’re behind Puddifoot’s working on the ward right now.

“No,” Pluto said. “They’ve now moved to the roof.”

The group gasped. Jadeite too, followed by a long stream of curses.

“They will get that ward down,” Pluto assured them all. “But I cannot see whether Lestrange will interfere with that.: She turned to Jadeite. “I have been managing the two golems that can cast shields.”

“The purple one and the dark red one,” Jadeite clarified.

Pluto nodded. “Stick with me as we fight these, so that you can step in quickly if I am needed on the roof.”

“You can’t duel her alone!” Mercury gasped.

“Someone must,” Pluto said. “You must all keep these beings in check.”

“But…”

Pluto shook her head. “I need to face her.”

They all exchanged glances, and then Uranus nodded and clasped Pluto on the shoulder. “She’s right,” she said, looking at Venus who still looked as though she might object.

“Be careful,” Neptune added, touching Pluto’s arm.

“I will,” Pluto said, and they all glanced around as, outside the shield, the nine reformed golems landed heavily on the cobblestones.

Venus looked at all of them, and then her eyes snapped to Pluto. “Fine,” she nodded. And turned round to face the nearest golem. “Then don’t waste your shield.” Her whip lit up as the others turned to face the next round of attacks. “Ready… _GO!”_

~ _SMH_ ~

Neville had begun to wonder if it had all been for naught – Luna had been muttering for what felt like ages – when everything changed at once – in the time it took him to blink.

It changed, when the invisible barrier protecting the chimney suddenly flickered with light: becoming visible as a series of shifting, multi-colored circles forming a dome over the chimney.

In the same moment, Neville saw Lestrange stiffen across the roof.

And Luna stood, not even looking at the Death Eater, for she was wholly focused on her work. She stretched out her wand, to tap the now visible barrier, and the tip of it slipped past the hem of the invisibility cloak.

" _Finite,"_ she whispered as Lestrange turned around.

Neville saw the ward vanish from the Chimney at the same moment he saw Lestrange notice the same. The death eater whipped her wand forwards.

_"Crucio."_

_"Luna!"_

Everything seemed to slow as the red spell raced towards them.

Neville swung Jadeite's sword up and stepped towards Luna. The cloak slipped from their shoulders as he pushed her back, he and the sword stepping into the spell's path.

It struck. Jadeite's sword whined and quivered as the jolt from the unforgivable raced through it and up Neville's arm. It set him off balance and he stumbled on the slanted roof, knocking into Luna who tripped, fell, and rolled, slipping over the edge of the roof with a yelp.

Neville didn't have time to see if she'd caught herself or cast a cushioning charm. Not with the cloak in a useless silvery pile at his feet. His gangly, undisguised form was clear in Lestrange's sights.

_"Crucio."_

This curse clipped the edge of the sword, knocking Neville onto his bottom and causing his grip on the sword to falter. Jadeite's sword clattered onto the shingles as Neville sat, a meter from the edge, staring up at Lestrange.

She stood on the roof peak, glaring. Her wand was glowing green.

He ought have tried to scramble over the edge after Luna, but was caught by Lestrange's gaze like a rabbit caught in the sites of a hunter.

Lestrange smirked and whispered: _"Avada Kedavra."_

Neville stared at the cold green light as it shot towards his chest. Feeling that it was unfortunate that he had not, in his usual clumsiness, fallen over the roof's edge too.

He felt the chill radiating off the approaching curse, his vision narrowing as it came within inches of his chest. Everything beyond the green spell blurred. The air before him began to shimmer.

And then the spell, a hairsbreadth from him, _bent_. Its course curved as something redirected it back to its castor.

Lestrange gasped, frantically jerking her wand towards her chest. A chunk of the roof tore free of its supports and collided with her killing curse. Both exploded, and Lestrange apparated away as they did.

She appeared again, right atop the chimney, as the shimmer faded from the air. And before she’d even had time to train her wand on Neville, a new spell – a magenta sphere of pure energy – appeared overhead. It raced downwards, tearing across the peak of the roof, barreling towards Lestrange.

_Dead Scream..._

Bellatrix saw this in time to apparate again, and Neville watched the attack strike the empty top of the chimney, exploding and sending brick and mortar skyward.

In the wake of it, Sailor Pluto landed on the roof in front of him.

"Alright?" She asked, scanning around the roof.

"Y-yes - L-luna!"

"Is fine." she nodded to the remains of the chimney; the glowing green light inside was now even more prominent. "Get tha-"

_"Avada Kedavra!"_

Neville gaped as the Senshi of time lifted her garnet rod, with only a glance at the direction Lestrange had cast from. A magenta bubble formed around them and the killing curse hissed as it struck that shield, fizzling out as a mess of green smoke.

"Get everyone inside Puddifoot's free," Pluto told him again. "I will handle her." And she turned, her face colder than Neville had ever seen it. Her hard eyes found Lestrange in barely a moment (half hidden on the other side of the roof's peak). Pluto let her shield fall as she swung the Garnet Rod down to cast another _Dead Scream._

This, Lestrange countered with a _Bombarda_. Both attacks burst with a deafening roar over the center of the roof, forcing Neville to shield his face with his arms.

When he glanced up, Pluto had gone from his side. She was running straight towards the cloud of smoke left in the wake of the explosion. He watched her Garnet Orb flash and the smoke part, revealing Lestrange with her wand lit up red.

His heart in his throat, and his arms beginning to shake, Neville watched Pluto countered Lestrange next spell by summoning a brick that had been blown off the chimney. When the red spell hit that, Lestrange had to apparate again to avoid the resultant shrapnel.  
Pluto was lifting her garnet orb off the top of her staff when Lestrange reappeared behind the senshi.

"Look out!" Neville shouted, just as Pluto whispered something, and a familiar magenta sphere blossomed from the Garnet orb. Several feet across, it formed a barrier through which Lestrange could not apparate. Pluto had trapped them together inside _Garnet Ball_.

Neville gaped as she then lowered her now orb-less staff, holding it two handed like some pole arm. She spun it to deflect Lestrange's next spell, and used it like a wand to cast a counter-spell of her own.

 _How can she do that?_ he thought as he watched the duel, forgetting the keystone blocking Puddifoot’s exits, forgetting Luna who was somewhere on the ground below. Neville even forgot Usagi and the others trapped inside the sealed building as he watched red, black, and purple spell-fire being volleyed back and forth within Pluto's _Garnet Ball_. No green lights. Lestrange, perhaps, did not have the necessary time to cast it – too busy keeping Pluto's staff from snapping her wand.

A red spell from Lestrange then slammed into the top of _Garnet Ball_ and the whole sphere flickered.

That snapped Neville back to his senses. Pluto could surely not maintain that barrier and her duel for very long.

Neville hastened to his feet, got his wand into his left hand and then spun round until he found Jadeite's sword on the shingles a meter or so away. He stumbled over the torn up roof to get it, taking note of how the sealing spell on Puddifoots now sealed the new gaps in the roofing.

He needed to fix that. The key to the ward was in the chimney. He ran to that, climbing up what remained of the bricks and heaving himself over the charred ones at the top. He looked down into the green-lit chimney shaft.

The source of the light – a glowing opal – sat a foot or so below him, tucked into a small gap worn into the mortar. The green ward spanned out from it: seeping into the mortar of the chimney and out into the walls. He could see, far below, the hearth in the kitchen blocked off by the spell.

" _Accio Keystone_ ," he whispered. He got a small pop and a face full of soot for the effort.

Neville gulped, sparing a glance over the roof at Lestrange and Pluto. Spell-fire continued to volley back and forth within the _Garnet Ball_ , which flickered each time a strong spell struck it. Lestrange had also grabbed the Garnet Rod in hand, and She and Pluto were currently fighting for control of it.

He looked away, catching sight of Venus' orange attack and Jupiter's green on the ground. The golems did not appear to be tiring as they lobbed matching colored attacks right back.

 _They need Usagi,_ he thought, returning his gaze to the keystone in the two-story high chimney shaft.

Neville gulped, reaching back and stowing his wand, then adjusting his right hand and the sword so they might provide him more support. With a firm grip on the sword hilt, he leaned forwards, wrinkling his nose as his shoulder caught the aide of the chimney shaft and knocked more soot into his face. He stretched out his left arm, whining as he strained downwards. The keystone was farther in that he had thought. He leaned further in, digging the toes of his shoes into the cracks between the bricks. Neville let go of the sword, bracing his right hand on the wall. He closed his eyes, still straining. His fingertips ghosted across the hot surface of the opal keystone...

And then he got the keystone in his grip, scrambling to right himself as he reappeared atop the broken chimney top and held the opal up. "Got it!"

He panted. Lestrange and Pluto still dueled back and forth. The battle with the golems still raged below. Auror spells still flew in the death eater swarmed streets around Zonko’s.

The opal was still glowing, its powerful ward still in place.

Neville spotted Jadeite's sword still resting across the corner of the chimney and picked it up, slipping down until his feet hit the shingles. He placed the opal at his feet and reached into his left pocket, drawing his own cherry wand and training it on the keystone.

_"Reducto."_

With a high-pitched whine, the opal shattered. A bit of it scraped Neville’s cheek and hand as he tried to shield his face.

On the ground, Neptune saw reflected in the Aqua Mirror. She shouted to Uranus to cover her and, knocking a golem aside with the butt of her trident, she trained the three prongs on Puddifoot’s shop-front. “ _Liquesco.”_

The charm struck Puddifoot’s dead-on, liquefying the stone and mortar front wall in an instant.

Everything: the deliquesced front wall, several floorboards, a painting, and two story’s worth of windows, doors, lamps, and even several chairs all came down in a great, rumbling crash that shook the street and startled everyone a block around.

Everyone, _including_ the Wizard in White, whose concentration and control over his _Imperius_ curse broke as light flooded the interior of Puddifoot’s. All the students, witches and wizards whom he’d cursed to attack Sailor Moon’s shield came back to their senses. Some fainted. Many screamed. The vast majority of them ran towards the gaping escape in the front of the building.

“Yes!” Sailor Moon cheered, “Everyone go on!” she shouted to those students she’d been protecting. With one fluid spin of her scepter, she vanished her _Protego_ and shifted from defending to attacking. Those students who’d huddled behind her charged for the exit as she advanced on the Wizard, who’d floated up closer to the ceiling, hands now flexing out before him as he struggled to summon his crystal ball.

“I’ve been wanting to do _this_ for far too long.” Sailor Moon grinned as her crescent symbol, and her scepter lit up bright white. “ _Starlight Honeymoon Therapy_ – HEY!”

The wizard, crystal ball finally in hand, became a swirl of ash that promptly dashed round the side of the building. Sailor Moon tracked that with narrowed eyes as it swirled out the corner of the café and away, disappearing into the blue sky outside.

That was when she laid eyes on the golems, all nine that her senshi had corralled into a loose group, kept together by the combined efforts of Venus whip, Uranus wind, and rings of Mars, and Jadeite’s fire.

“ _Sailor Moon – Help!”_ Venus shouted.

She was already running out to them, the wizard forgotten. She took to the air with one pump of her wings and twirled her scepter on this new target.

“ _Starlight Honeymoon Therapy KISS!”_

Her attack beamed down on the golems from above. Their earthen bodies crumbled quickly, revealing the nine cursed pieces of parchment that had controlled them before these too crumbled, morphing into something new: nine glowing pink shards that appeared sharp under the harsh sunlight.

 _Like that dementor_ , Sailor Moon thought as she recalled what had happened to the last of Lestrange’s super-powered creations. “Stay back!” Sailor Moon shouted to her scouts. Already, like the last, these shards were turning black: their form warping, growing, and merging into a shapeless mess of dark energy. This energy dashed up towards the sky, over Sailor Moon’s head, just as the energy from the dementor had many months ago. It streamed towards the forbidden forest, seeking an escape.

Sailor Moon flew up after it, hand waving over the brooch on her chest as its contents began to glow.

Her normal power had not been enough the first time. She would try something stronger now.

“ _SILVER CRYSTAL POWER_ ”

On the ground, the senshi, Jadeite, and all those Puddifoot’s customers had to shield their eyes as the beam of silver light engulfed the dark energy. It shrieked as if in pain as it was consumed, turning a pure, glittering white.

 _It worked_. Sailor Moon grinned, relaxing her shoulders as she hovered in the air, waiting to see this purified energy disperse into the air as she’d seen so many times before.

But this magic did no such thing. Rather, it became brighter as it concentrated more closely together. And as though she had never purified it, the energy shrieked again, and darted past Sailor Moon, clipping her wing as it rushed back towards Puddifoot’s.

In the square, Everyone gasped as they saw the sparkling energy streaked towards a target, as fast as lightning, too quickly for Sailor Moon to fly back. It had trained itself on the two combatants still dueling on Puddifoots’ roof.

“ _PLUTO!”_ Uranus shouted.

The purified energy struck _Garnet Ball,_ shattering it with a shockwave that knocked the watchers on the ground off their feet and stunned the two duelists within. Pluto gasped as her shield was broken, falling back as her uniform flickered and faded into burgundy robes. She landed hard on the roof as Setsuna.

And all the purified energy rushed into Bellatrix Lestrange’s chest. The death eater screamed, back arcing as the energy filled her, forming a white aura around her body. Her eyes went wide as saucers.

Pluto gaped, pushing herself to her knees as Lestrange’s screams transformed into manic laughter.

“ _MERLIN_!” the Death Eater shrieked. “ _What is this?!”_ She looked at both her hands and her wand, all coated in the energy, and giggled “ _This_ is how it returns to me!”

Lestrange saw Sailors Moon and Uranus alight on the roof and flung her left hand out towards them. A blast of magic knocked them back. “Not so fast!” She then rounded on Setsuna, whose hand had summoned her staff. “ _Expelliarmus!”_

Setsuna gasped as the staff was wrenched from her grip by an extra powerful spell, it rolled away from her. The Garnet Orb was nowhere near either, stuck in the gutter out of her reach.

And Lestrange, laughing, was advancing on her. “Not so confident now,” the Death Eater mocked.

Two of the senshi’s attacks, a _Deep Submerge_ and a _Coconut Cyclone_ barreled towards Lestrange from behind. She whipped her wand down.

The gutter suddenly cracked as it broke away from the roof. The metal unfolded and, glowing, deflected Neptune’s attack and absorbed Jupiter’s. Lestrange grinned, bringing her wand back upwards and pointing it at Setsuna’s chest as she continued to scramble backwards. “ _Avada Kedavra!”_

Setsuna was far enough back to launch out of the way, unable to apparate without her staff or her wand. She hit the crumbling side of the chimney with a grunt and racked her hair out of her face to glare at Lestrange as the Death Eater, still coated in the white aura, continued, step by step, to approach her.

Three more senshi attacks – red, blue, and yellow lit up the sky as they arced down towards Lestrange. But these too, the Death Eater blocked with a disconcerting wave of her hand, creating a barrier that the attacks could not pass.

“That ought to hold them back,” Lestrange giggled. “Now…”

 _That energy had the silver crystal’s power in it_ , Pluto thought as she stared down the green tip of Lestrange’s wand and shifted so that she sat straight against the chimney, chin held high. There were not, it would seem, many other options open to her. Her staff and garnet orb lay several meters away, too far for her to get to.

The Senshi would, of course get past Lestrange’s hastily crafted barrier. Of course they would.

But not, Setsuna guessed, in time.

 _At least Hotaru is back at the castle,_ Setsuna thought as Lestrange, grin twisting the lines on her face, began her spell.

“ _Avada Ke-“_

_“STOP!”_

For a moment, one could see the same, shocked look on Setsuna and Lestrange’s faces, as they realized there had still been one person with them on the rooftop. One who had curled up on the chimney’s other side, out of sight, until now.

Lestrange began to turn towards the shout as the _shing_ of metal split across the air between her and Setsuna. Jadeite’s sword came between them from the left in an over-balanced swing executed by an unpracticed hand, the wielder, at best, hoping to crush Lestrange’s wand or knock it from her hand.

As the sword swung in towards Lestrange’s wand hand, the Death Eater jerked it upwards and turned, as if to apparate.

But the sword, swung with too much weight behind it, struck before she could. And it sliced, with an unobstructed squelch, right into Lestrange’s gut. Neville’s swing was only jarred to a halt by the blade cracking against the underside of Lestrange’s ribs.

“Ava-da-Ke-dav-v-v-ra.” Lestrange choked. But no spell shot out of her wand. Neville and Setsuna watched the green glow fade from it, as the powerful aura that had filled her dimmed. Neville was close enough to watch the light recede from her eyes.

The body fell away from the sword, the second Lestrange it had killed. The shield that had been cast to block the senshi fell as the body did. And all the senshi and Jadeite had alighted on the rooftop in time to see what remained of Lestrange thud onto the torn-up shingles.

“ _SETSUNA!”_ Uranus and Neptune shouted, running up to her whilst Setsuna grabbed hold of the ruined chimney and pulled herself to her feet.

“NEVILLE!” Jadeite and Sailor Moon dashed towards him.

But Neville held up his left hand to stop them. He looked round, blinking, and settled his gaze on Jadeite. He limped the few steps between them.

“Uhh…” Neville stammered. “Thanks.” And he handed them their blade.

The glistening… red blade.

“You,” Jadeite gaped as they took hold of the hilt, slipping the sword from Neville’s hand. “You really…”

“Uhh…” Neville clenched his hand, which was warm and slippery. His brows furrowed as he looked down at it – “I, uhhh” – at the viscous red running down his fingers and onto his palm.

“You killed Lestrange…”

Neville began to answer them, but heaved. He threw up on his shoes.

~ _SMH_ ~

The Hogsmeade trip ended quite quickly after that, with all the death eaters and their allies having disappeared at the same time that the ward blocking Puddifoots had gone down. Bones suspected portkeys. And thus, while the aurors and Hogsmeade’s residents set about cleaning the soot, blood, and debris from the spellfire off the streets, it was a weary, jittery mass of students who shuffled back to the carriages bracketed by their chaperones.

“Maybe,” Mcgonagall grumbled to Setsuna as they watched the students pile into the carriages. “This will put some sense into the Board.” She sighed. “Or God willing, convince the kids to opt out of the next trip.”

“I… believe it will convince the students,” Setsuna said, mulling over the feeling she was getting from the future. She’d have to go to the Time Doors to be sure. “The Board doesn’t feel inclined to change their stance.”

Minerva grunted, sharp eyes zeroing in on a particularly frazzled group of fifth and sixth years. “Did Longbottom really make it over to you?” She asked. “I say – he looks pale as death.”

Setsuna’s pause had given it away, and she became the first to tell the tale to anyone. She had to tell it three times – Minerva’d been so gob smacked as to disbelieve her. She’d stared so long at Setsuna that her glasses had nearly fallen off her nose.

Neville himself was not up to telling – thankfully, he was spared the ordeal. Luna, despite not seeing the conclusion of the battle, seemed to already know. And Ginny and Mina took it upon themselves to tell a curious Ron and Hermione.

Harry’s cloak had survived somehow – they’d found it, and Luna, behind a crate in the back alley. Save some bruises and a bloody nose, Luna was fine.

Neville was not fine, not at all, and thus Ginny and Luna offered to escort him up to bed, assuring him that the others would tell them all the details of their debrief the next day. Usagi assured him too, and he’d managed to smile at her, the effort of doing so was even more than the effort it took to make his feet climb the stairs to his dorm.

“I hope he’ll be alright,” Usagi worried to her senshi as they walked along to Setsuna’s rooms for a much-needed meeting. She wrapped her arms around herself. “Maybe I should…”

“Not crowd him,” Michiru advised, turning around from where she was walking between Setsuna and Haruka and looking back kindly on Usagi. “He has Ginny and Luna, and quite a lot going on in his head at the moment. Why don’t you let your friends take care of Neville… and you can speak with him when the meeting’s over.”

Usagi bit her lip. “But… but what if he’s asleep.”

“Then you can meet him for breakfast,” Michiru replied.

When they filed into Setsuna’s sitting room, it was already occupied. The four first years were all sitting together on the larger of the black couches, watching Hotaru, who was pacing back and forth in front of it passing her glaive between her hands. Hotaru whirled around as soon as Setsuna pushed open her chamber door, nostrils flared. They all braced for the explosion.

“ _I HAD TO FIND OUT FROM SNAPE!”_

~SMH~

The manor was dark. Not one of her underlings had been summoned there since the afternoon. And it was too late for the one, twitchy house-elf she kept to be lurking. Its curfew was 11 after all. And it followed her strict order to remain under the loose floorboard on the second floor between 11 and 6. It could sleep if it wanted.

To his mind, and in his own culture, that would have been far too strict an order. It wasn't as if house elves were rebellious in any way. They had evolved as Wix partners, not their slaves.

These Brits saw things so oddly.

Then again, they also had quite a bit more in terms of permitted magic than his society did, quite a few more resources available about darker magicks too – the sort he had needed to prove his theories, to do his experiments.

And considering she had proved it possible to create something _more_ than the sorry excuses for horcruxes other's found acceptable, then why should he care how she chose to treat her house elf?

And he did appreciate its scarcity now. He always did his best work in silence.

The Wizard-in-White made his way into the dark study, and with a wave of his hand, lit up the lamps that lined the walls. They highlighted all the books that had been added to these shelves the past few months. She was peculiarly particular about always having them and her desk in order.

He stood over that desk: empty but for the crystal ball of his perched on the corner. He set his left hand on it as he reached out with his right and rapped his knuckles on the middle of the desk thrice.

It lurked. Creases appeared in the wood, forming a rectangle, and then this flipped over, revealing the two items that had been concealed on the underside.

The locket looked especially alive under the candlelight, Due in part to how often she had polished it. He wondered if he would ever quite break her of the amorous infatuation she had with Tom Riddle. He had never understood it.

Why attach one's self to a man who only wished to rise alone?

She was coming around to his way now though, that they must all rise together against the muggleborns. That they needed too in order to stand up against the greater enemy – to reclaim the magic that ought to be theirs.

Elysion. Earth’s magic. Their birthright. Legends that should have still lived.

She'd declared it all a farce at first. Called them fairytales, even with the Moon Queen foiled her plans right under their noses.

But Bella had been coming around of late, and (he smirked) she would surely trust him in full now that her wish would be fulfilled.

To be as he was.

“I told you. You didn't have to do anything more," He whispered as he looked to the item beside Slytherin's locket – the knife with the opal pommel and her coat of arms engraved on the hilt.

His wand-tip traced across the _Toujours Pur_ , gleaming on the blade.

"All you needed was one, and all you had to do was wait." He chuckled. "Patience." he tapped his wand on the knife, her favorite heirloom. He whispered the spell he'd once urged his dear brother to cast over his crystal ball upon his death, before the dead fool had known what it was, at least."

As the words filled the silent room, the candles all around flickered. The knife glowed pink, then black. Ash began to rise out of the blade.

And as a faint giggling began to echo off the bookshelves, he turned his attention to the locket.

"I almost didn't get what I needed for you," he murmured, glancing at the Crystal Ball again. There was the battle from the afternoon, the end of which he had watched from inside the Three Broomsticks, just inside the front window.

It wasn’t as if the staff had stuck round to notice.

In his crystal ball, he watched that accursed crystal's light filled the air, turning dark magic back to light magic which was restored, promptly, to Bella, curiously augmenting her power.

As the memory played out, he went over the knowledge the crystal ball's divining abilities had gifted him: the nature of that magic, the source, the will... there was so much to study.

He had learned enough, over the course of the evening, for this. He closed his eyes, concentrating on replicating that magic only _she_ could do.

"Sir Zoisite," he whispered to the locket. "You once rejected the Moon's dominion, I'm told." He waved his wand in a pattern over the horcrux. "I do look forward to meeting you." And then, once he’d determined a suitable incantation, he began once more began to mutter.

After a short while, the Zoisite stone in the locket began to glow.

~SMH~

_"Saverio Slytherin," His friend gently rested the sword on each of his shoulders. "I dub thee Sir. Zoisite, may you serve honorably and well."_

_He looked up at the beaming prince with a smile of his own and then past him, at his father in the front row, wearing their house colors on the elaborate dress robes that were only brought out for the most prestigious occasions._

_His father, was beaming too. And he felt an odd ticklish feeling in his gut at the sight._ _His father had not smiled so at him since he'd come home with Lady Helga's adopted mudblood on his arm._

_"You may rise," the prince's voice said and as he did, the scene around him faded..._ _  
into another scene, another place: no bright sun in the background here, only the warm light from the hearth that lent a cheer to the otherwise gloomy stone chambers._

_"It is marvelous!" Salazar boomed, "You're like your grandfather himself at Merlin's right hand. Merlin - you could surpass him."_

_"It's not much more than a formality," he murmured, running his hand along the carved scales of the snake that twined round one of the room's many columns. "Not much magic involved."_

_"Not much," his father chuckled, pouring himself a glass of wine. "Well then what's the point of that little keystone if you've got none of the old magic to show for it." He took a long sip of his wine and sighed, relaxing in the high-backed armchair. "Saverio," he said. "Elysion keeps it's secrets close but not from family. Surely you could tell me what's special about that stone."_

_He sighed. "It's connected to my soul," he confided. "It's not a horcrux," he hastened to add, for his father had long warned against the perversions of Le Fay's magicks. "It's different... it's just conntected to mine, see, and I guess I will be able to do some new magic with it._

_"Like the prince's?" his father asked._

_"Y-yes."_

_"What kind," he inquired. "You've always had a sharp mind, as we all know considering Godric's damned hat nearly robbed my house of my own son."_

_"It was an accident," he sighed. "I told you, it said I was delightfully curious, and I agreed."_

_His father waved his hand. "All past now." he stroked his beard. "Though if you need help mastering Elysion's powers perhaps that old hat could be used to tell us what those might be hmm?" He poured another wine and this, he offered to Saverio, smiling as he had at the ceremony. "You'll be something great," he said. "Perhaps some... master of tongues, or weapons. Or wandless levitation – I've heard some in the old kingdom can do that. Some can fly. Perhaps you'll even wield fire, hmm?" He chuckled. "I would wish to see Godric's face then."_

_"Why must you always try to one-up him?"_

_"Politics," Salazar said with a dismissive wave. "It takes a lot to convince a man he was wrong and be it at Quidditch or dueling, or chess, there's little ways I can still impress that on Godric," He swished his wine glass thoughtfully. "And with enough such smaller victories on my part, I believe Godric may be swayed to believe I have been right about other... more political things."_

_"And if he doesn’t?" he whispered, hand clutching the column a bit tighter. "If he doesn't, you'll leave?"_

_His father paused._

_"Are the rumors true then?"_

_He watched Salazar shake his head, and rise, he set his wine down and walked to him. His father clapped him on the shoulder._ _"Saverio," he said. "You have made me happy today. The fruits of your unfortunate consortship with that common-blooded leech have paid off. I see now how you have won the trust of the Earth's Prince as Osric and as Cyrus have done. I could only be happier if you could convince Endymion to select a knight with better blood in him that Olin,"_

_"Olin's blood adopted," he insisted for the upteenth time. "He's as pure as Lady Hufflepuff."_

_"No, Helga is a fool for tainting her line – if he's as pureblooded as her then, likewise, she is as mudblooded as her son." He shook his head. "You have ceased your consortship now that you've earned a knighthood in any case. And so long as I do not have to welcome Olin as a son, I care not what you think of him." Then his grey eyes turned hard and cold. "But my understanding of mudbloods is correct, my son. They come from muggles. They carry all their superstitions and religions and diseases and untraditional ideas with them. They do not abide by our ways. They corrupt what is pure in our magic. Worse – they will share it – for what does a statute mean to them? And then where will you be?" He sighed. "Your sisters never had any trouble with this concept."_

_He clenched his fists. "They're not all bad."_

" _They are," his father interrupted. "Olin is young yet, but mark my word he'll take on those maligned practices of his kind in time." He sipped his wine. "All of them turning in our families, watching them burn, all to collect on their fortunes, properties…” he tisked. "They are all bad."_

_"Why!" he shouted back. "They're magic as we are, what makes them bad!"_

_For once his father paused and shook his head. "Some things have no clear answer, my son." He returned to his chair and to his drink. "Sometimes we must simply accept what is known if we are to survive." he sipped his wine. "Is Endymion choosing a leader?"_

_"I presume so,"_

_"Well put a good word in his ear for you or for Jadeite or Nephrite." He chuckled. "Merlin forbid the boy chose Kunzite – that would be a shocking affront – Helga's mudblood ordering you about."_

_"Yes father," he sighed._

_He needed to convince him. Mudbloods weren’t all bad. Muggles perhaps were, But mud-_ muggle _borns couldn’t be._

_Olin was good._

_Olin was beautiful._

_He scoured their library, scoured the French archive. And then the fledgling collection at Durmstrang. He paid half his weigh in gold for two hours in what was preserved down in Alexandria._

_Muggles could be good. Mud-muggleborns could be good. Olin was good. Olin was smart. Olin was as magic as he was._

_But his father had evidence. Had stories. Had a fear of them that he could not understand._

_What made many muggles… and muggleborns, bad?_

_His quest distracted him from even his Prince and the tensions in Elysion brewing over dark magic. His quest led him far from his father's castle and far from Elysion's pearl-and-gold facade._

_He scoured the Earth, finding after a time, a seer who had taken up residence at Castelobruxo. He requested an audience with the man – lauded as the best._

_Perhaps if he could find his father an answer, he could appeal to Gryffindor and Ravenclaw to restore his position at the castle._

_"What you wish to know, the seer said. "Is an age old question." He was a diminutive fellow. Thin. He spoke softly. "I am not sure that I should answer."_

_He bristled. "Is there something you can tell me or no?"_

_The man smirked. His eyes – red and purple irises – held Saverio's for a long moment. "Is there something you wish to know?"_

_A strange question. He felt an answer drift to the front of his mind under the man's sharp gaze.  
_ Yes _: he wished for his father to be right. He wished for Gryffindor to be right. He wished for peace. He wished for Olin to be his._ _He wished for everyone to be right._

_He looked away and quashed the thought. "Don’t legilimize me."_

_"Forgive me," the seer said. "Tis a side-effect of my power – hard to turn off." He reached out and grabbed his hand, turning it palm up, examining the lines._

_"What’s this?"_

_"I must determine your fortitude," he said. "Only those fitting can handle the information I must impart to thee. Not even the Elysion elite can bear such truths.”_

_"Tell me," he begged._

_"These do suggest you are strong. Very well." And the seer grabbed his hand in a vice tight grip: fingernails digging in. His oddly colored eyes held Saverio's."_

_"Your father speaks truth. Your mentor speaks truth. Your lover is good." Saverio stared at him breathless as he gestured with his free hand, to the skylight over his room. "Tis not the muggles or their children or their grandchildren corrupting magic," the seer said. "Tell me – have you wondered why Elysion only had the ability to bless four knights with its power?"_

_He frowned. No... no he hadn’t._ _"Why?"_

_"Magic is weakening," the seer said. "Very few are strong enough to bear the old magic as you do. Magic is fading. It is spreading out – diluted year after year in each and every child born with our gifts, each less magic than the last." he breathed. His breath smelt of garlic. "Everyone can feel it, muggles too, they feel the loss of power, of divinity, of rightness. And everyone finds someone to blame.”_

_He stared entranced as the seer carried on, feeling the sense in it all. “Just look around you: the English are blaming the French. The pious are blaming the sinners. Some pious are blaming each other.” The seer’s red and purple eyes flashed. “Wizards like your father blame the muggles.” The seer released his hand._

_“And it isn’t their fault, certainly not. Our magic’s being stolen, and all of us are cursed blind to the truth."_

_"Cursed by whom!?"_

_"The thief herself of course,” The seer lowered his voice to a rasping whisper. “Tis the Moon Queen. She steals our magic. Her agents roam amongst us and amongst muggles. She’s even now after the last bit of the old magic.” The seer nodded. “Your prince’s shiny crystal.”_

_His breath hitched._ Endymion! _“No!”_

_“Yes,” the seer re-clasped their hands. “She seeks Elysion's destruction."_

_"Then I need to stop it!" Zoisite said. "Elysion is my duty. My prince..."_

_"Is in danger of being lost as well," the seer confided. "You will need more power to see clearly, more power to rescue he and your friends." He muttered something. And something appeared between their clasped hands. He saw as the seer pulled away – a compass._

_"Follow the needle," he said. "Survive the trials meant to stop you." He doused his candles. "The Moon Queen buried our most powerful magician there long ago. We are what survived." The seer gestured to him. "And you may be strong enough to survive the journey there, and to regain their power.”_

_He clenched his hand around the compass. Regaining lost magic…_

_His father might smile at him once more._

_The compass needle pointed north, generally. It wobbled far less than a compass ought… all the way until he got very far north._

_And then the needle began to point east._

_Then southeast._

_He knew when he was there because the compass began to spin. And he took in the vast expanse of snow and re-did the warming charm on his face._

_He could teach his father. He could bring Hogwarts founders back together. He could be with Olin._

_He could save Endymion. He could save magic._

_"You are a brave and noble soul," a woman greeted him when he arrived. He was startled to recognize her, one of Elysion’s nobles – Beryl!. "You will help me then?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Good." She was dressed oddly, in purple robes too exposed to be comfortable in this frigid climate. Their purple color seemed to be magic of its own._

_"Come with me," she grabbed his hand. "I will show you Metalia."_

_"Metalia?"_

_"The goddess who grants us magic," Beryl answered. "Whom the Moon trapped here."_

_He shivered as they moved further into the underground cave, down winding stairs towards a bright, pulsing, purple and red light._

_"Fear not," the voice whispered to him. "You who have come here are wise to heed me."_

_"I-I don't wish to heed. I need help."_

_"I will help you."_

_Suddenly he was looking upon the fiery being, whose red eyes met his and held his gaze. He felt as though the floor vanished beneath him as he was struck by the being's power... its truth._

_"Zoisite," Metalia whispered. "You shall bring the others to me. I need them, as I need you. To regain the Earth for your kind."_

_"Yes Master."_

He shot up in bed, shouting as he threw back the covers and clutched his hands to his head.

_What... what?_

He panted, pushing away the dream as he pushed back his sweat-soaked blond hair. The details were blurring even now, and his gut twisted with the duel desires to grab back the visions in their full clarity and also to shun even the faintest memories of them.

 _What was that?_ he thought as he panted, beginning to shiver in his bed.

The mattress beside him shifted as his lover stirred and then rose. A warm hand settled on his sweat-soaked back.

"Rigel?"

~ _I Solemnly Swear I Am Up To No Good~_

 


	16. Hook, Line, and Sinker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last Time on Sailor Moon H: In the shock of the year, Bellatrix Lestrange and the Wizard in White attacked the village of Hogsmeade, causing chaos whilst the Wizard confronted Sailor Moon inside Mme. Puddifoot’s. The Senshi won. And Lestrange is dead – at the hand of Neville Longbottom. But the wizard has escaped, and the strange magic Lestrange used to attack is at the forefront of the senshi’s minds. Mysteries are about to be solved – but will the senshi like the answers?
> 
> Disclaimer: See chapter one

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Chapter 16 of 18 is here!!! Two more to go! Brace yourselves (I mean it. No I really mean it this time. Batten down the hatches, prepare for cliff-hangers, and ready your pitchforks because you’re going to want to skewer me on them). This ends in a cliff-hanger and so will chapter 17 (come on guys, what did you expect – it’s me XD). That said, I changed the end of this so the cliff-hanger is not as bad as it was originally. ENJOY! And thank you for being patient while I prioritized my grad school work. I love y’all <3.
> 
> Special shout outs to Rainon Saturn, Pump Ink, Deannalaurend, and Convergence Eternal who have been really encouraging and occasionally check in to make sure I haven’t gotten trapped in a textbook or something. XD
> 
> This took a long time to pull together, so long that by the end I was really nervous about whether it would be as good as I wanted. I added alot, I cut alot out. I argued quite a bit with my time travelers. But I think I am satisfied now, and looking forward to Chapter 17. Enjoy guys. :)

 

 **Hook, Line, and Sinker**

“So she’s dead then,” Mina reasoned as she’d paced back and forth across Setsuna’s living room Saturday evening while the rest of the school was at supper. “You don’t come back from Basilisk-infused stabbing, right? We can cross Lestrange off our list.”

“She could still have more enhanced creatures to contend with,” Michiru pointed out. “And as Hotaru and Usagi cannot always be there…”

“About those: why are they so hard to kill?” Makoto complained; her arms were crossed as she leaned on the arm of a couch. “Even when Sailor Moon attacked them that… dark energy escaped.”

“I think...” Ami’s soft voice quieted the room. Mina stopped her pacing as Ami raised her hands, gesturing as she explained. “I think I have a theory.” She looked at Usagi. “Today, you tried to use the Silver Crystal, and the magic escaped.”

Usagi nodded.

“And in September,” Ami said, “You used the Silver Crystal on Voldemort’s ring, and the horcrux escaped.”

“No,” Mina and Makoto whispered. Everyone on the couches sat up straighter.

Ami was nodding. “We assumed the Horcrux had just felt the threat, but I am not sure that’s it after today.” She retrained her gaze on Usagi, who was holding the silver crystal’s locket. “That magic is designed to purify and heal – to bring things back together. We saw Voldemort’s horcrux try to bind itself to the Basilisk – the closest dark thing with a connection to him. And today, when your power hit Lestrange’s, it immediately returned to her.”

“And she was stronger afterwards,” Setsuna recalled. “Not just from the Silver Crystal’s power perhaps, but from that magic or horcrux reuniting with her.”

“Horcrux…” Michiru murmured looking down into her mirror.

It was as if a dementor had swept through the room, ushering in a sudden chill and sweeping away all their hard-won triumph.

“She shouldn’t have any,” Setsuna murmured, shaking her head. “That’s… alarmingly different.”

“It must be the Wizard’s influence,” Megumi whispered.

“He could have taught her,” Michiru murmured. She stared into the Aqua Mirror for a minute, and looked up when the mirror went dark. “She does have Horcruxes… I can’t see how many.”

“We’ll have to find all of them,” Rei determined.

~ _SMH_ ~

Saturday at 21:00, hours after the chaos in Hogsmeade had ended, the golden trio were the only people in Gryffindor’s common room. This was largely due to the way Hermione was prowling back and forth in front of the hearth. Her hair, extra frazzled from the Hogsmeade battle, lent the appearance of some wild cat with all its hackles raised. Between the pacing and the glare she threw at anyone who made the slightest noise, the common room had emptied out quickly.

Ron and Harry sat on one of the couches watching her pace, a neglected chess game set up before them on the coffee table. Their nerves were just as high as hers. One could tell in the way Ron’s leg bounced where it was balanced on his knee and the way he spun a poor, captive bishop between his fingers. Harry, for his part, had his wand at the ready, feeling the need to make up for how _useless_ he had been when detention had kept him away from the Hogsmeade battle.

He’d been itching for information ever since Ginny and Luna had first rushed past him into the common room on their way back (with a very pale Neville Longbottom) and disappeared up to the boy’s dorm. Harry had been left pacing after that, simmering with questions that boiled over as soon as Hermione and Ron had come through the portrait hole.

The resulting explosion of temper – from he and Hermione – had sent most of those in the common room scattering, and had left Harry without the energy to keep stewing and pacing. Now he watched Hermione do it for him, a bit grateful that at least he wasn’t the only one without the answers he wanted.

“ _I say,”_ one of the red knights on Ron’s side of the chessboard squawked. “ _If you don’t give an order in five seconds I will be sending our Rook to C…”_

 _“Shhh!”_ Hermione hissed. And Ron raised his eyebrows as his most talkative piece snapped its jaw shut and _shivered_ at the look Hermione sent it.

The chessboard didn’t make another noise.

Hermione carried on pacing.

The knights on the chessboard began miming their desired moves to the other pieces.

 _Finally,_ at 21:29, the only sound Hermione wanted to hear (the groaning of the portrait hole door) ended the silence in the common room. All three of the golden trio’s heads snapped to the entryway as three sixth year senshi and their first year tag-along tumbled through.

“ _There you are_!”

The volume of Hermione’s voice made all four returning senshi jump (Sora Kaioh knocked over a nearby coat rack). Harry noticed their injuries from the battle seemed to be healed or fading, though their pallor, the slump of their shoulders, and their downcast faces made them appear far too exhausted for the early hour.

“Hi guys,” Usagi whispered, looking around the empty common room, frowning. “Where’s Neville?”

“I expect that he’s in bed,” Hermione huffed. “And all I can get out of Ginny and Luna is that Lestrange was involved.” She put her fisted hands on her hips. “What _happened?”_

“Could we save it for tomorrow?” Mina yawned, loath to re-hash the events of the day any more than they already had.

“Oh, _of course_ ,” Hermione seethed, making everyone else in the room stiffen. “ _Of course_ : Save it for tomorrow. It isn’t like some of us have been left fretting over every rumor that spread through the Great Hall this evening while the rest of _you_ disappeared to have a meeting all by yourselves…”

“Hermione…” Usagi whispered.

“I suppose it’s _fine_ ,” Hermione pressed on, pace quickening as her words ran together. “I get it: you have your own team, and your own… thing. And just because we’re in the Order doesn’t mean we get to know _everything_ you do, since _clearly_ you’re not just students.”

“Do we have to do this now?” Sora sulked. Usagi put her hand on her shoulder.

And Hermione kept going. “But despite that I _still_ think – given all our other missions together and the fact that Ron and I spent this afternoon guarding every student in Hogsmeade – which Harry would have done too of course,” Hermione said as she gestured to the two boys, both watching her warily from the couch. “And we did all that while God knows what happened in the main square to keep you all away. We did all that while worrying about you, and Lestrange, and everyone in Puddifoot’s, and Neville whom apparently _something_ ’s happened to that Ginny _refuses_ to tell me.” Hermione finally drew a breath. “I think… given all that, we deserved better than to get left behind while you all go to discuss everything – to say nothing for the fact that _she_ ,” Hermione waved emphatically at Sora. “Get’s to be included while _prefects_ get left in the dark.”

“Well _excuse us,”_ Rei growled as she stepped further into the common room. “If it was bit too urgent to take a roll call of people who deserved to know.” She matched Hermione’s stern look with one of equal intensity, so much so that it might have been either or both of them whose magic caused the hearth fire to suddenly _pop_ and spew cinders across the floor. “As I recall,” Rei seethed. “You and Ron had prefect duties right after we returned. And Harry was coming back from detention. _We_ had urgent things we needed to discuss about the battle right then. Are you really suggesting we should have waited until it fit your schedule?”

Hermione’s face had turned quite purple and her fists trembled by her side. Ron elbowed Harry to budge over on the couch so they could both be a bit further from her. “I’m not… saying that,” Hermione whispered. “I…just… just _uuugh!”_ She threw her hands up in frustration and strode to the nearest armchair, throwing herself onto it. “We spent the day putting up blasting wards and dodging curses and pulling students out of a burning joke shop and… and we couldn’t imagine what could be keeping you all so busy that you weren’t there. I was… b-bloody,” she made a face as she swore, “bloody terrified.”

The senshi all looked at each other, and at Ron and Harry.

And then Usagi cleared her throat. “We’re sorry, Hermione,” she said. “We all just… needed to understand what happened in Hogsmeade. It really couldn’t wait.” She walked across the room to Hermione’s chair and smiled as she held out her hand to her. “Next time we’ll try to let you know where we’re going – even if you can’t be there.”

Hermione let out a long sigh through her nose and clasped Usagi’s hand. “We were worried all afternoon,” she began explaining again. “We didn’t know what happened to you.”

“Well, we’re fine,” Mina interjected, striding over to the other armchair across from Hermione and plopping down onto it. Rei and Sora followed: Rei sliding onto the arm of Mina’s chair and Sora sitting down in front of the fireplace. Mina looked over at Harry and Ron. “Surprised it wasn’t you blowing up at us,” she said to Harry.

Beet-faced, Harry cleared his throat and mumbled about how Hermione had covered everything. He adjusted his position on the couch so he was facing Mina. Ron moved as well, leaning over to pack up the chess game.

Mina looked from Rei, to Usagi, to the peculiarly quiet Sora, and then back to Usagi. “Can we tell them?” she asked her and chuckled. “Still not used to sharing.”

Usagi nodded. “We should,” she whispered. “They need to know.”

“Know wha..” Ron started to say, but was interrupted by the sound of footsteps in the dorms over their heads. They all looked towards the stairs in time to see Ginny and then Luna emerge from the boy’s dormitories.

“Starting without me?” Ginny quipped as she hopped up onto the arm of the couch close to Harry – so close that her socks brushed his calves.

“How is he?” Usagi demanded, hands digging into the back of Hermione’s chair.

“Sleeping,” Ginny offered and sighed, slouching back against the couch.

“He isn’t really up to seeing anyone right now,” Luna whispered, directing kind eyes at Usagi as she fiddled with her earrings. “But I think he will very much want to speak to you tomorrow.”

Usagi whispered her thanks.

And then Luna looked down at her feet, scuffing them against the rug. “Is… Lestrange really dead?”

“ _WHAT!”_ Harry, Ron and Hermione all exclaimed at the same time. Harry rocketed off of the couch. Ron dropped the bishop he’d been spinning.

            The senshi looked at each other and sighed.

“Might as well start with that,” Mina said. She pinched the bridge of her nose. “It’s… complicated”

 _~_ SMH _~_

Makoto and Akira stopped at the kitchens on their way down to Hufflepuff. They entered the common room laden down with armfuls of chocolate treats. 

But the common room was emptier than either of them would have guessed. There were just a few seventh years bent over the study tables next to mountains of textbooks, and a large group of first and second years packed together around an exploding snap game.

Akira and Makoto looked at each other and shrugged. “Meet you by the fire?” Akira asked.

“Sure.”

Akira then veered left, bringing her smaller armful of chocolate around to the study tables.

Makoto went right, and grinned when the exploding snap players noticed her and scrambled up to grab the chocolate. "Did everyone turn in early?" she asked as the chocolate was passed around.

"Some," Rose Zeller told her through a mouthful of chocolate. "Loads are still at the hospital wing, I think."

"Abbott's around," a first year piped up. "She said if anyone tries to break curfew she'll know and we’ll be ‘sorry’," he made air quotes and rolled his eyes. "She isn't even patrolling tonight."

"Yah," Rose added. "All the prefects are down in your dorm talking about Voldemort and stuff."

"You can't say his name!" one of the pureblood first years hissed.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Why? Will I get dark magic cooties?"

"Probably!" the pureblood kid exclaimed. Makoto couldn’t help snickering along with the younger students. The first year blushed. "What?"

"Do you know what a cootie _is_?" Rose snickered.

"No, but I bet it's bad."

Mako shook her head and carried the rest of her chocolate over to the coffee table by the fire. Akira had already dropped the rest of hers there. But she wasn’t sitting in the armchairs. Makoto frowned. “Kid?”

“Over here,” Akira’s voice came from behind one of the large, black armchairs. Makoto walked around, spotting her just as Akira stood up, swaying, arms full of a heavy birch log from the woodpile.

“Can’t you _leviosa_ that?” Makoto chuckled. “Here.” She reached down and picked the log up easily in one hand.

“Thanks,” Akira sighed, trailing behind Makoto as she walked to the fire and chucked the log in. The white birch bark crackled as the fire made it shrink and crack. “Didn’t want to use magic,” she said; she sat down so close to the fresh flames rising out of the coals that sparks spat onto her robes. “Sometimes extra magic messes up mine.”

Makoto sank down onto the rug a bit further back, leaning against the armchair. “Right, hang on.” She drew her wand and checked around. The seventh years were engrossed in their books; none of the first and second years were looking their way. Silently, Mako cast a notice-me-not-charm around the two of them.

Akira had her hands together and eyes closed as she settled into the same kind of meditation Rei would if she wanted to see something in the fire.

Makoto gasped quietly as the fire began to change: two dark and one white figure formed from the flames: a dementor, Lestrange, and the wizard. They got bigger and more detailed as the fire grew. Makoto saw Lestrange, the wizard hovering close, draw her wand on the dementor, casting a spell that glowed pink and black. It struck the dementor.

“This is from October,” Mako whispered.

“It’s what I saw.” Akira whispered, as the fire focused on the dementor. “I’ve always focused on Lestrange or the Wizard before… Never on this spell.”

Makoto leaned closer as the dementor grew larger, and larger, until the shape of it had grown too big for the flames and the whole fire had turned black.

“ _Let me see,”_ Akira murmured.

Makoto held her breath as a pink light appeared amid the black flames, a fragment of glass, or something like it. She squinted at the thing in the fire. “That looks like a star seed,” she muttered.

“ _It is,”_ Akira said as the rest of the crystal appeared. The shard a perfect fit. “ _Lestrange conjured her own and broke a piece to become a horcrux.”_

Makoto felt her stomach churn. “It really is a piece of her soul.” She muttered. “That’s sick.” She watched the image in the flames waver. “What happened to that Horcrux?”

“ _It was the Dementor at the prison,”_ Akira whispered. The fire turned orange again, a small image of a dementor floating there. Mako watched as the flames turned white, spewing sparks. The moon’s symbol appeared as the dementor’s image was shredded, leaving just the pink shard of crystal. Immediately, the flames grew higher, and the crystal shard wavered and began to warp into a chaotic mess of dark energy. “ _Sailor Moon destabilized it…”_ They saw the symbol of Saturn appear over the flames, and the dark energy freeze and flicker away.

“And Saturn killed it,” Makoto murmured. At least they’d destroyed one already. _But we don’t know how many Lestrange has made,_ Makoto thought, _or if she’s done._

 _“And Sailor Moon killed the one today,”_ Akira whispered. “ _What happened?_ ”

“She destroyed the golems,” Makoto said, watching something similar play out in Akira’s fire: A golem vanishing in the white flames as the Moon’s symbol flashed. “And there was a crystal shard, I think. But it changed just like that.”

“ _And it flew towards the forest,”_

“Looking for a place to hide,” Makoto muttered. “Then Sailor Moon used the Silver Crystal.” She watched the flames as the moon’s symbol appeared and the chaotic energy froze and turned bright, glittering white, just as it had over Hogsmeade that afternoon.

“ _And it returned to Lestrange,”_ Akira snapped her eyes open for a moment as the image of a star seed appeared there. “ _Now she can remake the Horcrux all over again.”_

“Fantastic,” Makoto said. She twirled her wand between her fingers as the flames turned black, and the image of a star seed once more appeared in the flames.

“ _How many are there?”_ Akira asked.

In response, the fire crackled, the image it held flickered as the flames waxed and waned rapidly. Makoto could see Akira biting her lip as she worked.

Then the crystal in the fire fissured at the bottom, and two small pieces splintered away, floating separately in the black flames.

 _Two other Horcruxes._ Makoto sighed. It was not good, but not as bad as they’d feared.

“ _There’s something strange…_ ” Akira whispered. Makoto narrowed her eyes and looked at the flames. There was: the image of the star seed was still cracking, forming a new shard that had yet to separate.

“What’s that mean?”

Akira was silent for a few minutes, sweat trailing down from her temple. Finally she sighed, her shoulders sagged as the flames simmered down, returning to their normal orange.

Makoto went to her, putting her arm around the first year’s shoulders. “What is it?”

Akira looked up. “It’s hard to see,” Akira pouted. “Not without having a Horcrux here,” She shook her head. “I think there’ll be another one soon.” She whispered. “I can feel it: She’s… preparing.”

 _Then there’ll three to find,_ Makoto thought as she reached back to the coffee table and grabbed chocolate for Akira. _How fast can she make more of these?_

 _I wonder how many the Wizard in White has,_ she thought.

“Don’t worry,” she told Akira, “We’ll find them.”

She hoped Ami was having better luck.

~ _SMH~_

The door to the Ravenclaw library swung open for Luna Lovegood as she approached, almost as if it were expecting her. She whispered a thank you to the considerate door on her way by, and rubbed her eyes.

It had been a very long day. Her back still felt the impact of being thrown off the roof, and then of helping Ginny drag an emotionally stunned Neville up to bed.

She wended a familiar path through the winding stacks of books, fingers tracing along the spines as she navigated to the very back of the room.

As expected, Ami was there: wrapped in a Ravenclaw-blue cloak and scarf to ward off the ever-present draft. She was curled up a navy blue armchair, with a book in her lap and one hovering beside her. A stack of similarly old tomes and parchment scrolls hovered beside her chair.

Luna settled into her usual armchair and pulled her wand out from behind her ear. What did she want?  _I should research with her, but I think I’ll be dreadful at it at the moment,_ Luna thought. _Perhaps something to cheer me up._ " _Accio_ _Fantastic Beasts_." she declared. A nearby copy with original, yellow pages and hand-drawn sketches of everything from the Southwestern Thunderbird to the Amortemptuous Toad flew into her hands. She smiled as she ran her fingers across the old embossed letters.

"How's Neville?" Ami asked without looking up from her reading.

"Sleeping. I expect Usagi is in a chair by his bed now," Luna said as she paged open the book. "Is that about Horcruxes."

Ami held up the book in her lap. " _A History of the Dark in Britain_." She said, then tapped her wand against the book hovering near her face. "And this one’s _The Ancient 28_ ," Ami’s eyes swept over one of the pages. She pointed her wand at it. A slim bookmark crackled as it stuck itself to the parchment. Ami turned the page "Lots of information about the Blacks, Lestranges, and all the rest." She turned back to the book in her lap. “I want a good idea of what vessels Lestrange might use and where she might hide them," Ami frowned. "If she hides them."

Luna swallowed hard, turning her focus back to the delicate penciled scales of a Hinky Punk. "And Megumi’s not helping you," Luna said.

“She said she needed to check the time dimension,” Ami said and smirked. “Which of course means she’s got something she’s not allowed to say about the future, and she’s afraid I’ll ask her about it.” She flipped the page in her book. “Your prophecy, for one.”

Luna gulped, briefly looking away from her book. “Did that come up at your meeting?”

“Only briefly,” Ami said. “We were trying to figure out who you might have said it to. But there’s only one S.P. in the Order and only one at Hogwarts.”

“Sturgis Podmore,” Luna nodded. “I had thought of him, but he got imperiused before I made the prophecy. And at Hogwarts...”

“Sammy Peaks.”

Luna nodded. “Ginny and I already talked to him. He looked quite pale, but that might have been because Ginny had her sword. But anyways, the nargles are quite sure he’s telling the truth.” She tapped her fingers on top of her book as she thought. “The chosen one becomes a pair…” She looked over at Ami. “That’s about Lestrange isn’t it?”

“That’s what Setsuna and Megumi think,” Ami said. “There’s a chosen one to stop Voldemort. Now there will be one to stop Lestrange.” She frowned. “What we’re weren’t sure of is whether the circumstances would be the same as they were the first time.”

Luna nodded. A feeling came over her. “But you know now,” she murmured. “That’s something Megumi knows and you asked her.”

“I really appreciate how you can know that, how ever you do,” Ami said. “Yes I did ask her. And she said the circumstances will be different. Which is good for us, we won’t be looking for a 2-year-old orphan.” She added another bookmark to each of her books. “But that was all she’d say.”

“She holds back a lot,” Luna thought, staring past the long-ago memorized text of her favorite book as she considered Megumi. “And there’s plenty more questions you want to ask her.” Luna frowned. “Why don’t you?”

Ami smiled. “I may not be a Guardian of Time,” she said. “And I may not be the best with people. But I am a chess player. And those instincts say if I press Megumi with questions now, before the need is urgent, she’ll lie, or refuse to answer, or run off to watch time like Setsuna does when she gets nervous.” She made another note in one of her books. “And then that would make her much less likely to tell me anything in the future. Whereas if I wait,” she explained. “That shows her I trust her judgment, which will help her trust me. And then, in the future, if there is something urgent I need to know and the need is clear, she’ll be more likely to answer my questions.”

“That sounds like you’re actually quite good with people.” Luna mused.

Ami chuckled. “Adults, no,” she said. “Children… they’re easier to understand.” Then she looked up, blinking owlishly towards the door. “Speaking of… Hotaru ought to be back by now.”

“She’s still with Professor Meioh, I believe,” Luna said. “Probably Chibiusa as well.” She turned the page in her own book and smiled at the charred, moving sketch of the phoenix. “Is she still going to have to kill Nephrite?”

“We haven’t thought of another option, so yes,” Ami sighed. “And of course Setsuna would talk to her about that, I know it’s been bothering her.” She shook her head. “I feel guilty – I _should_ find something that can help us with him.”

“Maybe you’re not the one meant to find the solution,” Luna pointed out.

“Well if anyone could it would be Hotaru,” Ami said. “She understands souls and things much better than the rest of us.” She frowned. “But she also says there’s no chance.”

“Well that’s no way to think,” Luna said. “There’s always a chance.” And as she said so another feeling came over her, one that bore the same sort of conviction she’d felt when she’d first caught a glimpse of Ginny Weasley and knew immediately she’d found a friend. “Perhaps I should talk to Hotaru,” Luna mused.

“Maybe,” Ami said. “Perhaps you’ll be able to see something she’s missing.”

~SMH~

“We’ll dig through the library at Grimmauld,” Haruka promised after she had hugged Hotaru. Michiru had already grabbed the floo powder for them both. All save Chibiusa had returned to their common rooms.

“Sirius may have a few ideas where Lestrange might hide Horcruxes of her own,” Michiru said. “And what she might do with them.”

“Let’s keep it between our group,” Haruka advised. “There’s a reason Dumbledore’s never told all the Order about Voldemort’s Horcruxes,

“It would demoralize the ranks,” Setsuna nodded. She looked off to the left. “You might tell Andromeda Tonks though. And… Narcissa.”

“Malfoy!” Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru exclaimed.

“Is she Draco’s Mom?” Chibiusa said, wrinkling her nose.

“And Bellatrix and Andromeda’s sister,” Setsuna nodded, fixing her eyes back on Haruka and Michiru. “Not yet, not directly. But soon…” she frowned for a moment. “I’ll try to keep an eye on her.”

“Alright,” Haruka nodded. Then she reached out, squeezing Setsuna’s arm. “Take care of yourself.”

“I _do!”_

“We still worry,” Michiru said as Haruka stepped back and linked arms with her. She looked down at Hotaru and Chibiusa. “Keep an eye on everyone here for us, will you?”

“We will!” they said together, Chibiusa stood up on her tiptoes. They waved Haruka and Michiru goodbye as the floo powder was thrown into the hearth, and the two of them stepped back into the bright green flames.

When they had vanished, and the flames turned back to normal, Setsuna turned to Hotaru and Chibiusa. "Are you still feeling left out?" she asked Hotaru.

Hotaru crossed her arms and shook her head. "I understand," she said with the tired tone that suggested she truly did, but by no means liked it.

"Next time, when you don’t have detention," Setsuna promised. "They'll be plenty more times we'll fight this enemy... and we are going to need you for those."

Hotaru shrugged. And Setsuna frowned, kneeling down next to her. If it wasn’t her non-inclusion that was bothering Hotaru, then what was it?

"Is my power really the only one that affects Horcruxes?" Hotaru asked at last.

"It is the only one that can defeat them so swiftly," Setsuna said.

"Because it destroys them.”

"Yes it does," she said, "But that is not all it does."

"It kills people."

Chibiusa gasped and grabbed Hotaru by the arm. “No!”

“What?” Hotaru said, arms crossed. “It’s _true_.”

"Hotaru," Setsuna said firmly. "All of us could kill, if we so chose, if we had to. It is neither the purpose of your power, nor an inevitable result." she knelt and smoothed back Hotaru's hair. "You set things right. You maintain a balance that ensures that evil never gets the upper-hand." She smiled at her. "If anything, you are a savior." She tilted her head to the side. “Is this about Nephrite, Little One?”

Hotaru nodded and crossed her arms. “I’m the only one who can kill Horcruxes.” She said. “What if you can’t save him? What if I have to use the glaive on him too.”

“Then you’d only do what you had to!” Chibiusa insisted. When Hotaru turned to her, about to argue, Chibiusa surged forwards and startled her with a tight hug. “Everyone would know that. I would know that.” She sniffed. “You know that, don’t you?”

Hotaru returned Chibiusa’s hug. “Yeah. I think so.” Then she sighed as Chibiusa pulled away. “But now…” She scuffed her feet. “It’s different: Nephrite’s not an enemy. He’s just stuck. Am I gonna have to kill him to do my duty?” She looked at Setsuna. “Like in the past…” She looked down at her clenched fists. “It’s not fair.”

Setsuna regarded her sadly. She put her hand on Hotaru’s shoulder.

"The powers of Saturn are not easy to bear," Setsuna said. "But they are no less _good_ than any other world’s. You’re young yet, as you were in your past life. You’ve never had a chance to learn all that your powers are capable of, to fully understand them." She stood. "But the fact that you are a senshi is proof enough that Saturn’s is power you can control. It's never going to control you."

Hotaru's lip wobbled. She leaned into Setsuna’s arms and rested her head against her chest.

Setsuna hugged Hotaru tightly, and when she stepped away, Hotaru rubbed her eyes with her palm and smiled. "Thanks, Mama," she whispered.

“Of course. Now… I think we have just enough time before curfew…” Setsuna waved her wand, conjuring three mugs. She smirked as she saw how Hotaru and Chibiusa’s faces brighten. “How’s about a round of hot chocolate before bed?”

~ _SMH_ ~

"Do you want me to walk you upstairs?" Setsuna asked Hotaru once the hot chocolate had been drunk and cleared away.

"No! No!" Hotaru said quickly, reaching out and linking arms with Chibiusa.

“We’re gonna walk together!” Chibiusa affirmed

Setsuna quirked her eyebrow, “When your dorm is in the opposite direction? You won’t get back until after curfew.”

Chibiusa put her best innocent smile. “So… as long as I don’t get caught.”

Setsuna chuckled. "Avoid the east stairs on your way back to Slytherin."

Chibiusa grinned, “Will do.” The two of them hugged Setsuna and then Chibiusa dashed off, dragging Hotaru by the hand. They pushed the door open and both turned and waved before ducking out into the hall.

Setsuna smiled and waved until they had gone. Then she raised her wand towards the door. It closed without a sound. She turned around, her smile changing swiftly into a stern, thin line. Her wand shimmered, becoming the Garnet Rod, which filled the room with bright light as she took a step forward. Sailor Pluto walked out of that light and straight through the time doors as they appeared before her.

 _“One last thing,”_ Setsuna had said when Chibiusa and Hotaru were finishing their hot chocolate _“Were you around any other students this afternoon?”_

 _"No,"_ Hotaru had shaken her head. _"I was in detention the whole day."_

_"So you didn't see Draco Malfoy?"_

_"No."_

_"Or anyone else? In the halls? After breakfast?"_

_Hotaru thought and shook her head. "I was with Chibiusa and the others right after you left... and they walked me to detention with Harry." She bit her lip, still thinking, and then shook her head. "But we never saw anyone else." she said "And I didn’t... feel anyone else close by."_

“ _Good, just checking…”_

Sailor Pluto narrowed her eyes as the time sands swirled. She double-checked one particular timeline to confirm her theory. As the sands swirled, she clenched her fists.

~ _SMH_ ~

Severus Snape snapped his head up as the groan of two ancient doors ushered a crisp draft into his office. He looked up in time to see Sailor Pluto step out of her time doors, Garnet Rod gleaming the same furious red as her eyes.

“Hotaru was in detention with you,” Pluto began without preamble.

Snape appeared nonplussed. “One which she and Mr. Potter more than deserved, I hardly see how it warrants this…” he set down his quill. “Confrontation.”

“It’s interesting,” Pluto continued. “Because I attempted to locate her this afternoon, and had difficulty seeing her. Which,” She twisted her Garnet Rod, angling the weapon slightly towards him. “As _we_ have discussed at-length, means that she must have been in the presence of one who has taken Lestrange’s potion.”

Severus still looked calm as he leaned back in his chair and steepled his hands, taking care to display that he had no wand within reach.

“You’ve taken that potion,” Pluto said.

Severus nodded, one side of his mouth curled upwards (only serving to deepen Pluto’s glare). “I am the fourth potion taker,” he admitted. “I took it under the pretense of being better help to Draco in his mission.” He tilted his head as he regarded Pluto.

“How long?” she demanded.

“Since the middle of the summer.”

“And you did not tell me, because Voldemort could have seen it in your mind.”

Severus nodded. He then reached behind himself for the bottle of liquor sitting on the lower shelf behind his desk. He poured himself a drink.

Pluto clenched her hand around the Garnet Rod, feeling foolish. All year she had seen his timeline remaining on one fixed, unchanging course and had attributed it to his own stubbornness about his fate. Not once considering his true timeline was being masked.

Severus, for his part, took a long swig of his drink. “I assume,” he said. “You are wondering why I intentionally took it, rather than pretending to and allowing you more avenues to predict Lestrange and Draco’s actions.”

Pluto only glared at him, her fingers twitching against the Garnet Rod.

Severus swirled his drink as he explained. “Feigning loyalty,” he began. “Does no good if one is not willing to compromise certain things.”

“You made an Unbreakable Vow,” Setsuna said. “I should think that enough to gain trust.”

“Of the Dark Lord, perhaps,” Severus agreed. “Bellatrix Lestrange is another matter.” He took another long drain of his drink and stared at the now near-empty glass. “She doesn’t need to be a Legilimens to sniff out a traitor. She is disturbingly good at doing so without it.”

“You still could have told me more about her plans.”

“I didn’t know them,” Severus said. “She delights in giving away as little information as possible, to as few people. What I knew were bits and pieces. It has taken quite a while to be trusted with… more.” He looked sharply towards her, the lamplight glinted in his coal-black eyes. “And with a little more time, I am hopeful that this deception will be worth both our whiles.” He set his glass down with a clink. “At the moment, Lestrange and the Dark Lord are planning something both consider of utmost importance – it concerns what should be done with that locket.”

_The horcrux… Zoisite._

“You know where it is?” Pluto demanded.

Severus shook his head. “Not yet – but the Dark Lord has tasked Bellatrix with securing a new hiding spot for it, and she has… suggested that I would be useful in crafting its defenses.”

“And then you would tell us how to get it.”

Severus nodded. “I assure you, Professor Meioh,” he said, returning his gaze to the papers he’d been grading upon her arrival. “There will be plenty of time for you to be angry with me. I’ve been a spy nearly two decades now, it will hardly faze me.” He picked up his quill. “I’ll let you know as soon as the locket is somewhere you can re-capture it.”

Pluto nodded, thinking. “You refer to Lestrange in the present,” she considered. “Are you aware of what transpired this afternoon.”

Severus smirked. “I was… informed. I imagine it had more to do with Longbottom’s clumsiness than any skill.” She was trying to decide if he looked more amused or more disturbed before he once more schooled his features. “And you’re aware that her demise are complicated.”

“She’s made Horcruxes.”

Severus gave a slight nod.

“How long will it be?”

“Before she is returned?” Severus shook his head. “I am not privy to that. I would assume if she returns with anymore haste than Voldemort, it would be the fault of that Wizard.”

“What do you know of him?”

Severus thought for a few seconds. “He trusts less than Lestrange, and is a decent enough Occlumens that I dare not attempt reading him.” He spun his quill in his hand. “I would say,” he said, “that I believe he has his hands in many things. And has… peculiar curiosities. It would be prudent of you all to be careful.”

Pluto nodded. She had expected as much.

“I may know more about their plans for the locket by the beginning of March,” Severus said.

Pluto nodded again and turned around. “Until then…” she summoned her doors, stepping through as they swung open.

Severus looked away when the Time Doors began to swing closed, He directed his attention back to the paper he was grading, reaching out and dipping his quill into the ink well. As he did, he heard the creak of the ancient wood doors come to an abrupt halt. He looked up to see one side still open.

Sailor Pluto was leaning on the doorframe, regarding him impassively. “You’re sure you don’t know anything of how that potion is brewed?” she asked.

Severus shook his head. “I do not know anything of its origins.” He looked away. “I’m sorry.”

Pluto shook her head. “You know, I’ve done quite a bit of reading this past year. Your Unbreakable Vow is not so aptly named.”

Severus stiffened; his quill skidded across the top most essay on his desk.

“If the caster dies,” Pluto carried on in a neutral tone. “It’s theorized the vow is dies with them and horcrux or not, that is what has happened.” She waved her hand towards his right arm. “You’d do well to take another look.”

And Pluto departed, her doors disappearing from his office.

As soon as she was gone, Severus carefully set down his quill and began to roll up his right sleeve. He twisted his arm this way and that, observing how the four rope-like marks that denoted each of part his vow had faded to just slightly paler than his skin.

Severus breathed a long breath out through his nose and then pinched the bridge of it. He chuckled. “Of course,” he muttered bitterly, and swiveled around, grabbing his liquor once more.

Sometimes, the whole bottle was more than warranted.

~ _SMH_ ~

“Nice passing today,” Harry congratulated Sora Kaioh, clapping her on the shoulder as he led the team, all mud-covered and windblown from two hours of practice, up to the castle. They could just hear the whistle as Michael Corner called the Ravenclaws in to begin their own.

“Wasn’t it?” Sora grinned, looking up at Ron “How’s your shoulder, Weasley?”

Ron’s ears turned pinked. “S’fine,” he blustered. “Better than your feints.”

“Good thing she’s fast then,” Ginny said. “Feints won’t work on Slytherin anyways. You’ve seen their Keeper – it’s like he reads minds!”

“Well don’t look him in the eye then,” Harry advised. “We need as many goals as possible.” It’d been their mantra since Hotaru’d caught Ravenclaw a snitch against Hufflepuff in February and catapulted them into a spot in the finals. Thanks to the botched game in October, Gryffindor needed to beat Slytherin by 210 points or else it would be Hufflepuff going to the finals instead.

“Shouldn’t Legilimency be banned in Quidditch?” Rei asked. She was walking beside Ginny, carrying two brooms. Mina was behind her, helping Katie with the equipment chest.

“Oh sure,” Ron snorted. “If anyone could catch you.”

“Evercreech’s not a Legilimens,” Katie Bell said, adjusting her grip on the chest. “Never could be – he hates looking people in the eye, he’s just.” She sighed enviously. “Insanely good at strategy.”

“Which is why we need to change up our plays approaching the hoops,” Harry reminded his chasers. He turned around to face them. “Remember the order is…” but he trailed off as he saw a blue-clad figure fly out of the pitch and dive down towards them. Harry squinted, spying the captain’s badge gleaming on the Ravenclaw robes. What was Michael Corner doing leaving his own practice?

Corner landed in front of them, frowning and crossing his arms. “Hotaru’s late. Any of you know where she is?”

“Er,” Harry looked to all his teammates. “I… don’t.”

“ _With Nephrite.”_

Harry jumped, spinning around to see Luna just behind him, having come down from the castle’s main entrance. She tilted her head and smiled pleasantly at him. “Something wrong Harry?”

“What, no,” Harry bluffed, seeing Ginny smirking out the corner of his eye. He cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair. “Hotaru’s with Nephrite?” he asked Luna

“She’s _skipping practice,_ ” Michael Corner fumed.

“Oh no, I don’t think that’s true,” Luna said evenly.

“Well that’s how it looks!” said Michael.

Luna shrugged, much more diplomatic than Harry and Ginny, who had started glaring at Michael. “She’s not skipping,” Luna repeated. Her eyes flicked to Harry. Her far away gaze sent an odd shiver down his spine. “I’m quite sure she just needs someone to help her find her way back.”

Michael rolled his eyes. “Right well, she’d better be down here by the time we’re done with warm up, or she can watch the finals from the bench.”

“Oh, just do your chaser drills first!” Ginny snapped. And she crossed her arms. “Your defense needs work.”

Michael looked about to say something rude, when he noticed the wand Ginny held casually in her hand, and perhaps recalled her fondness for hexing people. He flew off, shouting to the Ravenclaws to do five laps around the pitch.

“Their warm up usually takes fifteen minutes.” Ginny bit her lip. “Do you think Hotaru just forgot?”

“Harry’s going to remind her,” Luna assured Ginny. “Aren’t you, Harry?”

Harry gulped at the way she looked at him again, wondering how she seemed to just _know_ and then deciding it was less of a headache not to think about. He mounted his broom. “Yeah… thanks, Luna.”

He took off with a smile for Ginny and a wave to Ron, and steered his _Firebolt_ towards the second floor, flying round the castle towards the tall windows of Professor Meioh’s rooms. He slowed as he drew parallel with the castle wall, peering through the rain-streaked glass panes, until he saw a study decorated in mahogany book shelves and the blurred figure of a pale and black-haired person curled up in one of the chairs.

Harry rapped on the glass and watched Hotaru jump and spin around, turning her glaive on the window. He waved, and she frowned at him and got up to unlatch it.

“What are you doing?” Hotaru demanded, making room for Harry to drop down onto the floor of the office.

“Where’s your broom?” Harry asked, scanning around Professor Meioh’s study. Absently his hand went up to rub his forehead. Why did his scar itch?

“I… In my dorm, why?” Hotaru frowned.

“Well, cause you can’t just fly your glaive to practice,” Harry reasoned, he tucked his Firebolt over his shoulder and looked between Hotaru and the open window. “I mean you could, but I’m not sure Madame Hooch would approve.”

Hotaru cocked her head to the side. “Practice…?”

Harry stared at her, hand dropping away from his scar. “You have Quidditch. Five minutes ago. Actually…” He shoved his broom towards her. “Here, take mine. It’s a bit heavier, but Corner’s only giving you ten minutes to show.”

Hotaru reached out for it, but hesitated. She shook her head, and returned to her armchair. “It doesn’t matter,” she whispered as she curled her legs up to her chest and rested her chin atop her knees.

Harry gaped. “Qu – of course it matters!” Harry argued. “I’d go _mad_ if I didn’t have Quidditch. It… it bloody matters. It, you know, it’s _fun_.” Harry looked at the diadem on the desk and rubbed at the persistent itch in his scar again. “Someone else can watch this.”

“I know,” Hotaru said flatly as Harry walked around the chair and stood next to her. She looked up at him. Unlike they had many times before, her eyes didn’t make him shiver when she trained them on him. In fact, Harry’s frown deepened, she looked tired. She turned her gaze away, resettling her chin atop her knees. She resumed staring at the diadem… Nephrite… the _horcrux._

“How long’ve you been here?” Harry asked.

“A while.”

Harry thought. He leaned on his broom as he took up staring at the diadem too. He rubbed his forehead as he focused on in the small green stone that gleamed brighter than both the sapphires and diamonds around it. He wondered if this other knight, Nephrite, was aware of the horcux hijacking his soul. The though unsettled Harry greatly.

“I’ll do it,” Hotaru finally said, startling Harry as her whisper cut through the silent study. He looked down at her, but she was still staring at the diadem.

“Do what?”

“I’m not exactly a kid, it shouldn’t bother me,” she said. “It’s not like I haven’t done it before.”

Harry watched her as she closed her eyes, and kept them closed as she took a long breath. “Nine planets for a chance at peace… Every one of the Tau for everyone on this world.” She opened her eyes. “I’d have dropped the glaive on Nehelenia to… if Chibiusa’d let me.”

Harry frowned, wondering. “Er… dropped it?”

“It brings death,” Hotaru answered simply. “To planets… cities… whatever it needs to.” Her left hand, which held the glaive, tilted it towards the diadem. “Like him.”

Harry looked back at the horcrux then. “I mean… I don’t, er, _fancy_ Voldemort having horcruxes lying around, but… but aren’t they looking for a way to save Nephrite?”

Hotaru shrugged, bringing the glaive back to her side. “They only want to because they want to protect me. But they don’t have to.” She looked at him. “I know my duty.”

Harry sighed, and he turned to grab the chair on the other side of the desk. He dragged it beside hers and sat down. “Isn’t there a way for you to… kill the horcrux without killing him?”

“No,” Hotaru let out a short laugh. “My power doesn’t work like that.” She lifted her free hand and turned it, staring at her palm. “ _She_ doesn’t work like that.”

“S…Saturn?” Harry said slowly, mind spinning. He perhaps wasn’t the best person to be having conversations about these things, he decided.

“Saturn,” Hotaru confirmed. “Saturn… and Death. Death’s different. Well, sort of. They’re part of Saturn.” She curled her fingers towards her palm, still gazing intently at it. “And Saturn’s part of me.”

“Is she… really that different?” Harry asked. For he’d never heard any of the other senshi express similar things.

“Yes… no.” Hotaru shook her head. “She’s old. She remembers when it was 2000 years ago. _I_ don’t remember all those things. I barely remember the first time I was reborn here.”

Harry opened his mouth and closed it, realizing he didn’t have anything to add that wasn’t a question. He hunched forwards in his chair.

“Sometimes she thinks things,” Hotaru confided. “And I don’t agree with them. But she’ll feel insistent. It’s like she’s saying: ‘that’s just how it is, Hotaru,’ or ‘that’s just death, Hotaru,’ or ‘you’ll understand when you’re older Hotaru.” She made a face. “And she is right. I mean what do I know compared to her? She _is_ me _,_ and she’s so experienced.”

“It’s hard when they know more than you,” Harry said, rubbing his scar as he thought of Riddle’s diary. That version of Voldemort had been so easy to believe when he’d been Hotaru’s age. Even when Riddle’d accused Hagrid, Harry’d struggled to disprove him. How could the word of an old Head-boy, who’d seen far more than Harry had, possibly have been wrong? “Does she want you to kill Nephrite?”

Hotaru nodded. “She thinks it’s the only way, thinks Death needs to bring peace to Nephrite and punishment to Voldemort. I get it… whenever I’m around dark magic as Saturn…” She shook her head. “It’s like your scar, it feels as dark as one of these,” she waved her hand at the Horcrux. Harry shivered.

“Well…” He tried to joke. “You haven’t tried to kill me yet.”

Hotaru turned to look at him. “What is the magic in your scar?”

Harry blinked. “Uh… well… I dunno,” he said. “I mean, Dumbledore doesn’t know. But I guess… killing Voldemort for good’s the only way to get rid of it.” Was that right? Harry thought of how difficult it was to find ways to eliminate the Horcruxes. Would severing his connection to the Dark Lord really be so simple? Or would it linger?

Hotaru sighed. She was looking at the diadem again. “I guess that’s another reason I should just kill him,” she said, turning the glaive in her hand. “So you’re one step closer to being free.”

“Well, don’t listen to Saturn just yet,” Harry argued, rubbing his scar again. _It’s as dark as a Horcrux?_ he wondered. _Is that why the diadem’s making my scar itch?_

But it didn’t react around all dark magic, or even all dark magic cast by Voldemort. Just… _Just the Horcruxes…_ Harry realized for it had reacted this way around the ring and diary now.

Harry shook his head, trying to clear it. “The others still have time to save Nephrite.”

“I know, but Saturn still feels the same.” Hotaru shook her head. “She thinks so differently.”

 _“Jadeite lived a whole different life than me,”_ Ginny had confided to Harry over the summer. _And I don’t even think about it usually. It’s just, well I don’t know. Mum says I’m different. Am I acting different? Does that mean Jadeite’s not me?”_ Harry thought of what he’d said to Ginny back then and repeated it to Hotaru. “But you’re not different people,” he told her, just as he’d told Ginny then. “She’s still _you._ You’re just… more… You know, just because she’s older doesn’t mean she’s right.” He shifted in his seat. “What’s the point in having two lives if you can’t learn or, or change things.”

Hotaru smiled at him. “I wish it worked like that.” She shook her head. “Mama-Suna says I’ll figure it out in time… Thanks for trying, Harry.”

He cleared his throat. “Just… think about it at Quidditch okay.” He gestured to his broom, still sitting by the window. “Take mine. I’ll watch Nephrite till someone else gets here.”

Hotaru looked between him and the diadem. “Well…”

“Go,” Harry insisted. He grinned. “Unless you’re just going to forfeit the Snitch to me in the Championship.”

It worked. She turned bright red and launched out of her chair. “Who say’s _you_ ’re the one whose going to get it!” Hotaru said. “I’ll fly circles around you.”

“Only if you practice,” Harry countered. “Corner said he’d, bench you. And then Terry Boot takes your spot.” He cast a time-charm. “You’ve got two minutes.”

Hotaru squeaked. She dashed to the window, grabbing Harry’s _Firebolt_ as she climbed up onto the wide windowsill. “There’s some research books about horcrux-stuff on the desk,” Hotaru said as she mounted the broom. “I’ll be back.”

“Just go!” Harry urged her, watching as she nodded and leapt into the air, the Firebolt jolting forwards as she sped off towards the pitch.

~ _SMH_ ~

Two weeks after the Battle at Hogsmeade, twin pairs of boots crunched in the ice-crusted snow: One set pink with pompoms on the laces. The second set larger, plain black, with scuffmarks over the tops. The young, Gryffindor couple wearing them walked close together as they wound their way around the far side of the lake: Their shoulders brushed as they went. Their mitten-covered hands were clasped together.

Usually holding Usagi’s hand made Neville feel warm. Now though, all he felt was numb, from his toes inside his boots to the tops of his ears. It wasn’t the cold. Rather, it was what Usagi had just told him on their way across the grounds.

“So… she’s not gone?” Neville asked.

Usagi drew closer to him, shaking her head against his shoulder. “I wanted to wait a bit to tell you. I’m sorry.” Rei and Akira had confirmed what they’d feared: Lestrange did indeed have Horcruxes that would bring her back into the war.

Neville swallowed the lump of fear in his throat. He’d just started to let himself feel _good_ about not having Lestrange looming over his life. Now… “I couldn’t believe it when I did it,” he said. “When she fell off the roof… I kept waiting for her to apparate behind me and-and stab me or something.”

Usagi held tighter to his arm.

Another terrible thought struck him. “Does she need my blood?” he fretted, recalling Harry’s account of how Voldemort had been resurrected. “Or, or one of my family?” _What if she goes after Gran?_ Neville thought. _She’s got her bodyguard, but she’s still out and about every day._

“ _No.”_ Usagi swore. She shook her head and squeezing his hand. “No, I won’t let them. And I won’t let them come after you either.”

He managed a small smile. “Funny: you say that, and I believe you. I don’t know why I believe you. I mean… I used to have _nightmares_ about her when I was younger and I wouldn’t even believe Gran saying she was in Azkaban.”

Usagi responded by tucking herself even closer to him. It was a wonder they both didn’t trip on each other’s feet, Neville mused. They were each quite prone to such things after all. But he had become quite in sync with her over the past few months, and their feet moved step for step, perfectly matched to each other’s stride.

“It must be hard,” Usagi said. “You have to deal with killing someone, _and_ learning they can come back and you might not be rid of them for a while.”

“I…” Neville sighed. “Yeah.” He watched their feet. “Surprised everyone’s been so understanding actually. I mean… She’s evil. I know that. I’ve always known that. I shouldn’t feel guilty.”

“Why shouldn’t you?” Usagi asked, tugging them to a halt. “I would.”

“Really?” Neville asked.

“Mhmm.” Usagi took off one of her mittens so she could reach up and cup his cheek. “I mean that… there’s some enemies that are just evil, but people… they can be evil, but they don’t have to be. I always try to reason with them.” She shook her head. “If I have to kill them, even if it’s necessary, I always feel a little guilty that I couldn’t find a way to reach them.”

Neville took off one of his own mittens so he could cover her hand with his own. “Does it get easier?”

Usagi smiled in a sad sort of way. “Is it terrible if I say yes?” she shook her head. “If I’ve tried reason, and it doesn’t work, then I still need to protect other people, to protect my friends. I’ll still regret it. But I’ll know it was necessary.” She looked out at the pristine snow. “I make my peace with it, I suppose.” Then she looked back at him. “The hard part isn’t feeling guilty though, it’s…”

“Feeling happy about it,” Neville nodded, as their hands fell, still clasped between them. “I’m relieved that she’s dead, well not anymore I guess. Happy I did it. Happy she couldn’t scare me anymore… happy I could tell Mum and Dad and Gran…” He blushed and looked down. “Am I allowed to be happy about it?”

“Yes,” Usagi answered simply. “A lot of other people were.” The day after the news had hit _The Prophet,_ they’d seen fireworks going up over Hogsmeade.

“Gin said the same,” Neville said. “I think word’s gotten around too. I keep finding sweets and things turning up by my bed. And Fred and George sent me a Deluxe Prank Box.” He thought a moment. “Surprised Colin hasn’t tried to photograph me.”

“I think Ginny had something to do with that,” Usagi confided. She sighed. “I’m sorry it didn’t stay secret.”

“Doesn’t matter, I guess; since she’s not really dead.” Neville shivered. And let out another sigh of his own. “Figures, really.”

Usagi hummed and hugged him. Thus entwined, they resumed their walk. “I don’t know if I could do it again,” Neville said. “Even just a horcrux of hers would probably be pretty powerful.”

“Well she’s not more powerful than all of us together,” Usagi said. “We can beat her and Voldemort.”

“ _How though_?”

Usagi ducked her head as she smiled. “You said you believed in me, didn’t you?” She tightened her arm around his waist and looked up at him. “Well I believe in us - uh.” Then she hastily looked away as she blushed. “Everyone, I mean,” she tried to fib. Her heart began to race fast. “Everyone together we can do it – we’ll figure out how along the way.” She broke out in a startling laugh then, and elbowed his ribs. “You know I wish the same was true for exams.”

He chuckled as well, seemingly not noticing what she’d nearly said. “If only. But hey you’ve made it this far.”

“I know.” Usagi groaned. “Hermione’s already talking about finals.”

“But… but it’s barely _March_.”

“You’d think, right,” Usagi agreed, and they carried on. Her slip-of-the-tongue was lost in conversation, but recalled in her now sweaty palms, and the blush that lingered on her face.

 _I believe in us…_ Usagi considered. She recognized what feeling that must lead to and mulling it over. _I forget he’s not Mamo-chan,_ she thought. She didn’t know of course, but she’d spent far too long trying to ignore who Mamoru might be to let the thoughts consume her now. Instead she smiled and pressed her free hand over the Silver Crystal’s locket where it rested under her robes. Mamo or not, she liked feeling this way about Neville just the same.

~ _SMH_ ~

“ _AND THEY’RE OFF!”_ Akira Hino cheered as scarlet and green clad Quidditch players converged at the centerline. Ginny Weasley nabbed the Quaffle right out from under the Slytherin lead’s nose and dashed off ahead of bludgers from Goyle and Crabbe; Gryffindor’s own beaters soared in to head them off.

Harry Potter flew above the melee, glancing away to check the crowd as Akira called the first goal: “10 – 0 _GRYFFINDOR!”_ He flew to the Slytherin stands, ignoring their glares. No Malfoy. No Nott. Then they were working on the vanishing cabinet. Harry hoped whichever senshi was guarding that today didn’t get noticed by them.

A flash of blue and red among the green caught his attention: two Ravenclaws stood in the first row of the stands, jumbled in with Slytherin’s green. Harry grinned as he saw Hotaru with Meioh’s cousin Megumi and their pink-haired Slytherin friend ( _Chibi… something)_. The pink-haired girl waved and Hotaru did too, after her friend elbowed her.

Harry wondered if they’d had to drag Hotaru away from her brooding. He flew in closer. “Still think you can fly circles around me?” he taunted as he drew near. He turned upside down for good measure.

That did it. He grinned as Hotaru turned red – much to her friends’ amusement. She stood on her toes and looked past him. She smirked. “Probably, as Slytherin’s about to nab the snitch.”

Harry righted himself with an abrupt jerk of his broom and scanned the game. Ron was gearing up to face off with a Slytherin tag team. Mina had just knocked Goyle back with a bludger. Ginny’s short red hair was whipping in the wind. _Focus._ Harry snapped his gaze away from Ginny and finally spied the other seeker – circling lazily high above. There was no snitch in sight.

Behind him, Hotaru and her friends giggled.

“Don’t _do_ that,” Harry complained. But he was still smiling. “Pay attention to Mina,” he told Hotaru. He caught sight of a streak of gold across the pitch. “She’s crafty. She’ll knock you off your broom next game before you even know to look for her.”

“I can handle _Mina_ ,” Hotaru huffed. Even so, she leaned further out of the stands, her attention now fully on the game.

Satisfied, Harry carried on flying. He eyed the Slytherin seeker closely as he meandered around the pitch. Malfoy’s replacement seemed to have missed the gold streak that had caught Harry’s eyes.

By the time Harry had made his way around, the golden blur had disappeared within the gold and red cloaks, scarves, and hats dotted through the Gryffindor stands. Just as well. Harry glanced up at his team. They needed _at least_ 50 more points. Were they still at only 10? Harry swore, realizing he wasn’t sure, and pulled his broom higher, rising up towards the teacher’s box, and the scoreboard.

“ _EVERCREECH BLOCKS!”_ Akira shouted into the magical microphone while her eyes tracked the rapid moves of the Slytherin team. _“HITS IT TO COWLEY – OW! THAT'S GOTTA HURT! INTERCEPT FROM KAIOH AND SHE’S OFF FOR ANOTHER ATTEMPT – PASS TO BELL – FOR A CLEANSWEEP SHE’S QUITE FAST!”_

Harry hovered overhead as the play carried on. Goyle and Crabbe came in with the largest of Slytherin’s chasers to cause trouble. Harry crossed his fingers.

“ _BELL SHOOTS! GOAL! 20-0, GRYFFINDOR”_

“YES!” Harry pumped his fist. He looked down to see Ginny hovering at the midfield line, and could see the grin on her face from here.

Harry shook his head. If he lost the snitch for thinking about Ginny, she’d never let him hear the end of it. Neither would Ron. Harry considered which Weasley’s ire would be worse. _Ginny,_ he decided, _unless Ron knew who_ _was distracting me_. He decided he ought to fly higher, if only to see if Slytherin’s seeker was paying attention.

As he brought his broom up, Harry kept searching for the snitch. In doing so, he caught a better look at the teachers box.

Mcgonagall looked _giddy_ from the two back-to-back opening goals. Harry sought Snape’s reaction; surely it would make him feel better about his last detention, but Harry frowned.

Snape was not livid, as Harry had expected. He didn’t even seem to be paying attention. He sat in the highest tier of the stands in the corner, next to Professor Meioh, with whom he seemed to be carrying on a serious if whispered conversation.

 _I wonder what they’re talking about_. Harry wondered, as he saw Snape cover his left arm.

“OHHH INTERCEPTED!” Akira’s voice boomed over the pitch. “THAKUR GETS THE QUAFFLE AND KAIOH GOES SPINNING – BLUDGER FROM AINO – NO IT MISSED – THAKUR’S BARRELING RIGHT ALONG – GOAL! AND WEASLEY GOES THROUGH ALONG WITH HIM. THERE GOES A SHOE AS WELL – CAN’T TELL WHOSE FROM HERE. OH WELL: 10 to SLYTHERIN!”

Harry groaned and directed his gaze back to the pitch. _So much for a perfect game,_ Harry thought. No matter: they still had a good shot. Ron had kicked the Quaffle to Ginny already, and he and Thakur’s collision was still distracting the other players. Not even Akira seemed to have noticed Ginny sweeping low around the side of the field with the quaffle tucked tight against her.

The Slytherin seeker was still circling. Harry dove. Ron would play better with both shoes.

~ _SMH_ ~

Snape’s mouth twitched up slightly as Slytherin gained their first 10 of the game. “As I was saying. I received an _owl_ today.” He drummed his fingers over the sleeve of his left arm – under which the dark mark rested.

Setsuna raised her eyebrows, perplexed as always by his caution even around his close colleagues. _Doesn’t he trust them? Dumbledore does_ , she wondered. “I take it I’ll be interested in what this owl has to say?”

Severus inclined his head in a nod too subtle for even Sprout, beside him, to see. His eyes flicked around the stands. None of the others in the teachers’ box seemed interested in their conversation. Even so, he whispered: “I’ll drop by after dinner with it.”

“ _SLYTHERIN SCORES AGAIN!”_ Akira’s voice interrupted, and drew an outright smirk to Severus’ face. “ _SCORE’S TIED 20-20!”_

Setsuna shook her head as cheers echoed across the pitch, and were swiftly drowned out by boos. “I won’t be here tonight,” she told Snape.

He looked sharply at her, his pleased smirk from before falling from his face. “You won’t?”

Setsuna shook her head again. “It’s the new moon,” she stated. “We’ve noticed an uptick of death eater activity on these nights. Remus says it can strengthen some dark creatures and spells.” She smiled as she spied Sora Kaioh rocketing upwards with the Quaffle and dodging a bludger in the process. “I’m going to help them.” She looked over at him. “Why? Is there something urgent?”

Severus inclined his head in a subtle nod once more. “I am leaving tonight,” he said. “I may be gone into next week. And I have information you need before I go.”

Setsuna sat up straighter. “Concerning…”

“An old star, and an older knight,” he murmured. He fell silent, twisting his hand around his left arm. “It shouldn’t be said here.”

Their conversation lulled. Setsuna mulling over what he’d said. The old star was how he referred to Bellatrix. The older knight… _must be Zoisite!_ she realized in excitement.

“ _GOAL!”_ Akira Hino shouted a few minutes later. “ _30-20 GRYFFINDOR!”_

Severus sighed. “Potter will just ruin it anyways.” He stood, straightening his cloak as the wind buffeted him. He glanced at her. “If you’ll excuse me. I have lesson plans to check before I go.” And he walked down the side of the stands and to the stairs, only speaking briefly with Dumbledore before leaving.

Setsuna waited a half-hour more herself before getting up and following.

~ _SMH_ ~

Harry squinted against the sudden, blinding lights that lit up from each of the tall towers around the pitch, illuminating it as the sun dipped below the highland peaks. Akira’s voice bellowed from the teachers’ box Harry tried to focus on the game going on below.

“ _BELL’S NEARING THE GOALS AND A BLUDGER’S ABOUT TO BLIND SIDE HER – OHH KAIOH TAKES THE HIT INSTEAD! BELL’S STILL GOING! COMING UP ON THAKUR! SHE FEINTS! AND THERES THE SHOT! 90 – 40 GRYFFINDOR!”_

Harry sighed relieved. And then cursed. He’d lost the Slytherin seeker when the pitch’s lights went on. Harry’d been watching him weave _continuously_ across the left side of the pitch for 10 minutes. Surely he hadn’t lost the…

 _“THE SLYTHERIN SEEKER’S SHOOTING UP!”_ Akira exclaimed. _“LOOKS LIKE HE’S GOT THE SNITCH IN SIGHT AND POTTER’S NO WHERE AROUND.”_

Harry pulled his broom up, completely vertical, streaking as fast as the _Firebolt_ would go – up towards the Slytherin seeker and the golden snitch that was gleaming brightly against the lights. Harry saw a broom gaining on him – Mina with her bat raised. Harry leaned into his Firebolt, following the path of the snitch, as Mina got up higher over the Slytherin seeker’s head.

Harry was within five feet. Which was not going to cut it because the Slytherin was within three. He strained forwards, squinting against the glaring light on his glasses. Behind him a bat cracked, and another.

“ _A GRYFFINDOR TAG TEAM! HARPER’S OUT! POTTER’S CLOSING IN!”_

He was too; the Snitch was hovering a foot from him, then mere inches. He let it stay a little ahead. It was still 90-40. They needed _one more_ goal, or it would be Hufflepuff against Ravenclaw in the Championship.

“ _HARPER’S RECOVERING! DON’T KNOW HOW LONG POTTER CAN BABYSIT THAT THING!”_

Not long, that was for sure, he chanced a glance down.

Ginny was on a Slytherin chaser’s tail, trying to gain back the Quaffle, he saw her waving her hand for Katie and Sora as well.

A beater’s bat cracked close by – Mina or Rei had sent Harper veering off again. Harry trained both eyes back on the Snitch, just in time for it to dive. Harry followed, right into the chaos of the game. He squinted as the snitch tried to lose him by flying towards one of the brightly lit towers.

“ _QUITE A BATTLE FOR THE QUAFFLE GOING ON DOWN THERE! ABOUT TO GET WORSE TOO – CRABBE’S WRANGLED A BLUDGER BACK!”_

Harry waved a hand out to his side. Mina was there in a second.

“Forget about Harper – guard the Quaffle!” he told her.

“You’re sure?” she shouted back.

“Yes!” he said, and jerked his broom upwards as the snitch changed course again. He chased it all around a blue tower, at one point batting it aside with his hand as Harper came up from below.

“ _Hoping it’ll follow you, Potter?”_ Harper taunted, slamming into his side. Harry gritted his teeth and pushed right back. Harper was smaller. Barely.

_“BLUDGER FROM AINO – TO HINO – RIGHT AT – OH! THAT’S GOTTA HURT! COWLEY’S DOWN! KAIOH’S GOT THE QUAFFLE!”_

Harry could see them: down below all the Gryffindor offense were racing towards the hoops – mere feet from the ground – with the Slytherins in hot pursuit.

He shot forwards to block Harper again, grateful Crabbe and Goyle were preoccupied.

“SLYTHERIN _BLUDGER! KAIOH DROPS THE QUAFFLE – WAIT SHE’S KICKED IT TO WEASLEY! WEASLEY’S PULLING OUT AHEAD, BELL’S IN A TANGLE WITH THAKUR. AND SLYTHERIN’S CAPTAIN’S DEALING WITH GRYFFINDOR’S BLUDGER!”_

Harry passed midfield at the same time Ginny did, and caught another look at her as he bumped Harper hard enough to make him slip on his broom. Ginny was had tucked herself close to her broom handle, covering the quaffle and rising steadily upwards as she neared the hoops. Rei and Mina bookended her, one knocking the bludger towards the Slytherins while the other blocked Crabbe and Goyle.

_“WEASLEY’S NEARING THE HOOPS! SEEKERS ARE NECK AND NECK!”_

Harper tried to go over the top of Harry. Harry scowled at him and strained forwards, eyes darting from the snitch (zipping around the field’s perimeter) to Ginny, hair like fire in the bright lights, her arm clenched tight around the Quaffle as she hugged it to her chest…

“ _GRYFFINDOR’S STILL 90-40, WIZARDFOLK, IF THEY DON’T GET THIS GOAL THEY’RE SETTLING FOR THIRD…”_

Harry bumped Harper again. He glimpsed another broom approaching.

“ _GOYLE’S CHANGING COURSE! AINO SETS A BLUDGER ON THE KEEPER! WEASLEY’S CLOSING IN!”_

Harry closed his eyes. He shot forwards, fingers straining. A bludger whizzed past his ear. He brushed the snitch’s fluttering wings and cinching his hand around them. He raised it high and looked at the goals.

The Quaffle was soaring through the right hoop…

“ _POTTER HAS THE SNITCH! AND THE GOAL…”_

Hooch was behind the hoop, wand moving. Her shrewd eyes were on the image conjured from it.

Akira Hino was standing on the side of the teachers box. Mcgonagall wasn’t even bothering to reprimand her, as she was leaning half out of the box herself, hands gripping the edge. Every eye on the pitch and off was watching Hooch.

The coach dismissed the play-back she’d conjured with a wave of her wand and shot up green sparks.

“ _THE GOAL IS GOOD!”_ Akira screeched as the audience nearly drowned her out with their glee. _“GRYFFINDOR WINS IT 350-40!”_

Making their total 10 more that Hufflepuff’s. Harry’s face broke out in a grin as the cheering in the red part of the stands drowned out even Akira’s voice. They were going to the finals! He soared down towards his team, the snitch in hand, and grinned wider as Ginny soared up to meet him.

“That was 210?!” she gasped. “So we made the…”

Harry nodded, unable to speak, and grinned as she threw herself at him, knocking his broom back as she shrieked!

“ _WE’RE IN THE QUIDDITCH CUP!”_ Ron shouted as he joined the group of them. Ginny pulled back, still grinning. Harry stared, dazzled by her smile and how dark her freckles were when she blushed.

“ _Harry_ ,” she whispered, her breath tickling his nose.

He leaned up, feeling a rush of heat and her arms cinching around his neck. He kissed her. A triumphant rush of excitement filled him, better than any snitch catch…

“ _WELL GRYFFINDOR WASTES NO TIME CELEBRATING!”_

Harry pulled back, blushing. He looked to Ron.

His best friend looked from Ginny to him and shrugged as it to say: “if you must.” He heard Katie Bell laugh and slap Ron on the shoulder.

“Right answer, Ron” Ginny said, surprising Harry as she pulled him back in and kissed him again. She tasted like sweat from their hard-fought game. Harry broke away, grinning as widely as she was.

“Dudes,” Mina cut in. “You’re going to ruin the party. Look up there. That girl is _crying_.”

“Is it Romilda?” Ginny asked, breathless.

“Who?” Harry wondered.

“Doesn’t matter.” Ginny looked a tad smug.

Harry looked at the stands, shifting self-consciously as he saw that _yes_ quite a few people were sniffling or glaring at him… or possibly at Ginny. He groaned. Fantastic. He wondered idly what article he’d see about this in _The Prophet_ tomorrow.

His eyes drifted to the teachers box, hoping Snape’s face at the loss would cheer him up.

But he frowned, searching the back row and then all the rest.

Snape wasn’t there. Meioh wasn’t either.

~ _SMH_ ~

A country away from Hogwarts Semi-Final Quidditch game, Rigel Fawcett paced the Grimmauld kitchen, restless and overly impatient for the kettle to boil.

 _Come on already,_ he thought as he glared at the barely steaming spout.

 _Well aren’t you a wizard,_ he thought to himself. _Cast a heating charm._

His hand hovered over his wand, but Rigel clenched his fist instead and turned for another round of pacing.

 _A heating charm on this buggering old thing… with how I feel right now? I’d blow it up._ There was no sense doing magic if it was _sloppy_ magic. He resigned himself to waiting.

As he made to pivot for his next pass across the kitchen, he saw the door pushing open.

Rigel Fawcett’s wand shot up, just as his boyfriend Hamish Stebbins appeared in the doorway.

Hamish blinked, and raised his one hand. “S’alright,” He shrugged his right stump of a shoulder. “I’m unarmed.”

Rigel blinked. “I…”

Hamish glanced towards his stump. “Too soon?”

Rigel winced, “Well at least you can joke about it now.”

“So, then… you’re not about to stun me?”

Rigel frowned, and then his eyes widened as he realized he had his wand trained on Hamish. _I would never!_ He swore to himself. Frightened, Rigel hastened to jam his wand back in its holster. He crossed his arms over his chest.

When Rigel looked back at Hamish to apologize, he saw that his dark brows had furrowed and his head had tilted slightly to the side. “What?” Rigel snapped.

“You haven’t been yourself this week,” Hamish worried, walking to Rigel’s side. “Longer even.”

Rigel swallowed the lump in his throat. He checked the doorway, thinking: _as long as Haruka and Michiru aren’t listening..._ “It was that dream,” Rigel confided to Hamish.

His boyfriend’s eyebrows shot up. “Is that why you’ve camped out in the library so much recently?

Rigel blushed. “You noticed that.”

Hamish just rolled his eyes. “I might not wake up easily, but Haruka does. You’ve been leaving after I fall asleep and coming back before I wake up.” He reached into the pocket of his robe then, pulling out a book. “I found this under your favorite chair.”

 _The History of Possession vol. III_.

A panic seized Rigel and he launched forwards, grabbing Hamish’s wrist roughly and jerking the book out of his hand. “Give me that!” he snapped, stuffing it into his belt. “Are you spying on me?” _Of course Haruka’d find me – trying to turn you against me,_ Rigel thought, suddenly seething. _Of course she’d…_

 _She’d what?_ Rigel groaned, smacking the palm of his hand over his head. _Why am I thinking like this?_

“Rigel?” Hamish whispered.

Rigel blinked. He lifted his head, realizing he’d doubled over: his right hand was clutching his head as though holding it together and his left hand was clenched in a fist near his wand.

 _I was about to draw it on him!_ Rigel realized as he straightened up. He crossed his arms tighter over his chest this time. “Sorry,” Rigel said. “Sorry, I…”

 _Don’t tell him!_ The instinct in him was like some woken beast, straining to break out. It made Rigel tremble. _Why do I feel this way?_ “It is the dream,” he whispered, looking away, towards the fire. “I haven’t had it again… but I haven’t felt alright since.”

“What was it about?” Hamish pressed. “ _Come on,_ Rigel, please, whatever you remember, you ought to tell me.”

But Rigel shook his head and lied: “I really don’t remember.”

He could always lie easily, Rigel mused, when it suited him. But he’d never lied to Hamish, nor to the others in the Order. Not until now.

“Do you think you’re possessed?” Hamish whispered, stepping towards Rigel. He stretched his arm out, touching his hand to Rigel’s arm and running it up to his shoulder.

Rigel shivered. _I could pull him to my side right now,_ he thought. _Get him out from under the Moon’s thumb._

_Why? What does that even mean?_

“I thought so at first,” Rigel confessed, letting Hamish pull him into a hug. He leaned his head on Hamish’s other shoulder, still just as warm and comfortable despite being just a stump. _It’s Haruka’s fault he can’t hug me the same._ Rigel shook his head even as the thought came to him, trying to drown it out. He directed his thoughts towards Hamish: his warmth, his embrace, his steady heartbeat. _It’s because of Haruka he’s still here_.

“I know I’m not possessed,” Rigel insisted. “I’m not, I read that book to check… my symptoms don’t fit.” He sighed. “I just feel… off.”

“In what way?”

Rigel swallowed. “I think things,” he whispered, voice muffled in Hamish’s robes. He clenched his fists, recalling the first night after he’d dreamed of being Slytherin’s son: Rigel had feared having the dream again, and waking Hamish with it, but the first instinct that had come to him had been to cast a sleeping charm on his boyfriend. He’d been deciding _which one,_ and realizing he was leaning towards one of a darker cast, before he’d recognized the wrongness of it. “Sometimes I feel paranoid,” Rigel tried to explain. “Other times I just feel dangerous.”

“Did you drink an essence of Mad-Eye or something?”

“No!” Rigel groaned and looked up at Hamish. “Be serious.”

“I am.” Hamish face was still full of concern. “Do you really not remember anything?” he asked. “Is this why you’ve been avoiding Haruka and Michiru?”

“I have not!”

Hamish gave him a look. “You’ve never missed one of my sword practice’s, and suddenly you don’t turn up for two weeks.” He shook his head. “I wish I’d realized earlier – I didn’t put it together until I cast a Patronus with the sword today and realized you weren’t there.”

“You cast a _patronus_!” Rigel grinned. “That’s… that’s powerful magic. That means you can fight! We could…” Rigel frowned. _Defeat the White Moon…_ It was his own thought, or it felt like it.

“Oh I can’t _fight_ yet,” Hamish shook his head. “That spell took me five damn tries. And don’t change the subject.” He fixed Rigel with a seeking look, his dark eyes seemed to gaze right into him. “They’re our friends. They’re on our side.”

“They’re not!” Rigel snapped, “Hamish I really feel like they’re not.”

“Because of a dream you don’t remember?”

Rigel flushed. He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not possessed,” he said. “I don’t know what’s gotten into me.” A terrible thought occurred to him. He looked up at Hamish. “Please don’t tell them about this!” Rigel said. “I’ll – I’ll figure out what’s wrong, I will! But what if my dream is right?” He saw Hamish shaking his head. “Please trust me,” he begged.

“They’re good at these things,” Hamish insisted. “They can _help_ you.”

“I don’t want help!” Rigel snapped. “I don’t I… I want to understand.” He looked down at his wand. _I’ll obliviate him if I must,_ he thought. His stomach turned at the thought. _I might not like it, but it’s necessary_.

He was reaching for his wand when the teakettle went off. Without looking, without a word, Rigel snapped his wand towards the stove and silenced it.

He lowered his wand, trying to forget his last thought. “Please, Hamish,” Rigel looked up at him pleadingly, “Give me a little longer to understand.”

Hamish looked away. “I won’t tell them,” he said. “Damnit, Rigel. I don’t like it though.”

“I won’t go on missions, then,” Rigel promised. “Not until I figure this out.”

“Will you stop going to the library after I’m asleep too?” Hamish asked. “If you’re having that nightmare again, I want to be there. I want to help.”

“It wasn’t a…” Rigel sighed. _I shouldn’t tell him anymore until I understand this better_. “I won’t.” _What’s the point if Haruka will know? She could spy on me._

Tired, Rigel turned towards the stove, reaching for kettle and summoning a mug from the cabinet. “Any tea?”

“No thanks,” Hamish sighed behind him. “I need to think.”

“You’re not going to te –”

“I’m not!” Hamish insisted, walking out of the kitchen. “But if you can’t figure it out, we’re going to Dumbledore… or Mrs. Tonks.”

“I’ll _figure_ it out!” Rigel tried to call back.

But Hamish had shut the kitchen door.

Rigel turned back to his tea, shutting off the stove and setting down the kettle. He looked down at his full mug, staring at his face reflected on the surface.

He looked angry.

Rigel closed his eyes. _I don’t feel wrong,_ he decided. _I don’t feel right either._

_I don’t want to tell the senshi._

_But why?_ He bit his lip. Alone, with his thoughts, it was harder to be defensive. Whatever strange instincts had awakened in him recently, they were good at fighting – _relished it_ sometimes. But they didn’t like reflecting so much.

 _I don’t trust Hamish,_ Rigel thought. _That’s why this feels wrong. Does that mean all of it is wrong?_

 _No,_ he thought, a mix of his old self and his new cast of thoughts. _I just worry that the senshi have brainwashed him_.

 _They could be distracting us,_ Rigel thought. _What if they’re here to weaken us, so we fall to Voldemort and then have to beg them to save us?_

It felt like the kind of thing senshi would do. Rigel could even convince himself Michiru would do it, and that Haruka would go along with it.

 _Professor Meioh wouldn’t_ , he argued with himself. _I don’t think the others…_

As he thought of the other senshi though, his mind recalled the image of the short blond: Usagi… _their princess_. All at once a surge of rage struck him. He clenched his hand on the counter top as it made his knees shake and goose bumps pop up on his arms.

He’d barely said more than a few words to Usagi. And she was always, always cheerful…

 _What’s going on with me?_ Rigel lifted his tea, took a long sip of the too-hot drink, and then slammed it a little too hard on the counter. _Maybe Hamish is right – maybe there is something wrong_.

_Or maybe you’re brainwashed too – maybe you’re waking up._

His thoughts circled each other, neither making anymore sense than the other. Neither had since he’d woken up feeling like Saverio Slytherin.

One thing was for sure: the senshi were looking for the sons of the founders, their fabled “knights.” And until he knew which of his thoughts was right or wrong, Rigel was certainly not going to reveal that bit of his dream.

He made to move to the table, and had just sat down, when the fireplace lit up with floo-green flames. He jumped, wand ready, as a tall figure appeared, and swayed as she stumbled out into the kitchen, her long green hair glowing in the firelight.

“Professor!” Rigel’s hand shook. Part of him wanted to stun her. The other part was watching Professor Meioh with concern as she swayed on her feet, one hand fumbling for a hold on the mantel.

The latter part of him won out. Rigel stowed his wand and dashed to her, She grabbed his arm to steady herself. “Professor, are you alright.”

“Perfectly,” she said. Her eyes looked unfocused, rather like she’d been confunded or obliviated. “Perfectly fine, why?”

“I… no reason,” Rigel lied, brows still furrowed. One of Professor Meioh’s hands moved to rub her forehead. “Do you have a headache?” Rigel asked.

“It’s nothing,” she dismissed, gazing around. “Why am I here…?”

Rigel was about to answer that he wasn’t sure when her eyes abruptly widened, her unfocused look vanished and she straightened. “There’s something important.” She said. “There’s a chance we can get two Horcruxes this week – One of Voldemort’s and Lestrange’s.” She looked around. “I need Haruka and,”

“I’ll get them!” Rigel insisted. “I’ll be right back.” He dashed from the kitchen. _What if it’s Slytherin’s locket?_ he thought, and cursed: he’d just promised Hamish he wouldn’t go on missions. He took the stairs two at a time. Setsuna’d sounded like it was urgent.

 _She looked so strange when she came out of the fire?_ He thought. _And why’d she come of the floo anyways, she has her time doors?_

But as he neared the entrance hall, he could already hear the light, fast footsteps of Haruka and Michiru on the stairs, Along with Hamish’s and Remus’ slightly heavier ones, and Sirius great clomping steps.

“Setsuna’s here,” is all he said as they came down. “We’ve got a Horcrux mission.”

By the time they arrived in the kitchen, Setsuna looked as self-assured as she ever did, with no trace of the strange confusion that Rigel had seen she arrived.

“I’ve just been to see Severus,” Professor Meioh said. “Lestrange has enlisted him to do some of the protections on the locket’s new hiding place.” She pointed her wand at the map on their kitchen table to mark the location of their next mission. “He’s going to leave some loophole in the protection, but he doesn’t know everything that will be guarding it yet.”

“Well, what does Snivy know so far?” Sirius said. Remus summoned a quill, parchment, and ink, ready to jot their intel down.

“So far…” Setsuna said, looking to all of them as she explained.

 _I should tell them?_ Rigel thought.

_Why? Isn’t it more useful information if I keep it to myself?_

The two sides of him, neither feeling right or wrong clashed in his head once more. This time, his new instincts won out.

_~SMH~_

No one saw much of Draco Malfoy Sunday and Monday, not even Chibiusa who was in his house.

“Pansy’s been bringing him food,” she reported Monday after classes, standing on top of Setsuna’s coffee table so she could be taller than all of them sitting on the couches. “I think he’s sulking.”

“And he’s not talking to Nott,” Hermione frowned. “I thought they were working together.”

“It’s not like they _want_ to though,” Ron said. “Right, Harry?” He looked at his best mate on his left. “Snape sort of… ordered them to.”

“He order Nott to play along with Malfoy,” Harry corrected. “He did that… spell.”

“Delerio _,”_ Hotaru said from her chair close to Chibiusa.

“Yeah that one.”

“If Nott was sent to do Draco’s job for him, that makes sense.” Setsuna reminded them. “Severus is protecting Draco.”

“Hope Draco makes it difficult – serves him right,” Ron muttered. “Ow!” he said as Hermione elbowed him in the ribs.

“That’s awful to say.”

“Well it’s true isn’t it?” he argued. And to that, Hermione didn’t disagree.

“It is interesting that they’re spending time apart,” Setsuna mused. “Perhaps something’s gone wrong with their project.” She looked at Ami. “What happened Saturday while we were at the game?”

Ami frowned. “I saw them as I approached. Malfoy paced in front of the room for a bit, but he only opened the door for a second. I waited until they left and opened the room myself.” She tucked her hair behind her ear. “The manticore was prowling just inside. That must have scared them off.”

“Draco was shit at Magical Creatures,” Ron pointed out.

“Anyways, I had to take care of that,” Ami said. “It took a bit. I didn’t want to kill it since it clearly deterred them. And after I knocked it out, I came out of the room and Malfoy was there. He must have been trying to go back in, but he ran when he saw me there. I stayed until everyone returned from the game. They didn’t come back.”

“Way to hinder their progress,” Mina said, as she and Makoto clapped Ami on the shoulders.

“And they didn't curse you?” Sora asked.

At that, Ami smirked. “They must have learned from the last time.”

Setsuna had chuckled along with the students, assured at least that even with Nott to help him, Malfoy’s progress on the cabinet was still on it’s normal schedule. _April_ was the way it would go if there were no changes that she couldn’t see. And Bellatrix’s recent death, how ever brief it would prove to be, had helped Setsuna in one way at least: Severus unbreakable vow was broken. He wouldn’t have to kill the headmaster. And if Draco and Nott remained on course, she had until April to convince the headmaster that he needn’t die now.

 _It’s more important than ever,_ she thought, catching Luna’s eye as the conversation in her sitting room turned to why Malfoy would be sulking and why Nott was angry with him. _Luna has not been able to recall her prophecy. And the Wizard in White is still at large. The Order will need their leader more than ever._

“I bet he’s sulking about Quidditch,” Harry posited, beaming.

“And Nott’s pissed at Malfoy for dropping out of the team,” Ron picked up.

“This is the first time in like eight years they’ve come in _fourth_.” Ginny pointed out. “Do you have classes with Malfoy tomorrow?” she pressed. “You _need_ to mention that.” She told Harry. “I want you to tell me _exactly_ what his face looks like.”

“That’s if he shows up,” Rei warned. “He wasn’t in class today.”

“ _See!_ ” Chibiusa grinned, putting her hands on her hips. “Sulking.”

Tuesday morning, Harry, Ginny, and Ron all woke up as early as Hermione to go down to breakfast. They planted themselves at the seats closest to the large doors and kept an eye on them, all grinning, as they served themselves breakfast. Hermione sat next to Ginny and shook her head at all of them. “You’re ridiculous,” she told them.

“We want to see his face!” Ron said.

“If he’s _sulking_ enough to miss class yesterday, what’s makes you think he’ll be here?” Hermione said.

“Pansy’s gotta get sick of bringing him food eventually,” Ginny said. “And he never goes to the kitchens.”

“Why?” Harry wondered.

“Bet they’re all friends with Dobby,” Ron pointed out as he dumped a liberal serving of bacon on his plate. “They probably give him cold food.”

The thought made Harry chuckle as he stared at the door.

By eight, they’d gotten bored of watching. But at 8:30, when Pansy walked in, the three of them perked up again. Even Hermione seemed interested. The senshi strolled in shortly after her and all their Gryffindor friends, especially Sora, gamely joined in watching for Malfoy.

He didn’t appear though, and Pansy dashed off with a plate of food on top of her books just before the masses began gathering their things for the first class.

“He’s going to miss _two days_ of classes over Quidditch?” Hermione wondered. “And a cabinet?”

“Maybe the manticore destroyed it,” Mina shrugged.

Malfoy didn’t appear in Charms at all, or Herbology. He didn’t even show up for lunch. Snape did though. He must have just got back from his mission, Harry thought, because he looked drawn, though he glared as fiercely as ever when he noticed Harry looking.

They’d given up watching for Malfoy by the time dinner came, so when he strolled in with Pansy as the _Evening Prophet_ came around, none of them immediately noticed. Not until Colin pointed it out. Harry, Ron, Mina, and Ginny all stood up, straining to see him. Sora stood on the bench. Even Hermione, while she was subtler about it, craned her neck to spy on him.

But his face was not set in the sulking face they’d hoped to see.

No. Malfoy was _grinning_ as he took his place between Goyle and Crabbe, accepting a goblet of pumpkin juice from them.

“ _What?_ ” Harry gaped

“Sit down,” Hermione nagged, tugging on Harry and Ron’s robes. They sat. Hermione then turned to threatening Sora with point deductions. She dropped down into her seat too, and stabbed her fork into her food.

Ron was scowling, and his brows were drawn together in confusion. “He’s _happy_.”

“But Slytherin’s in _fourth_.” Ginny muttered and cursed. “And he hasn’t gotten to work on his cabinet at all.”

“Is that where he’s been the past two days?” Hermione asked. But the senshi shook their heads.

“Someone’s been watching the Room of Requirement 24/7,” Mina said. “Malfoy and Nott haven’t tried to go near it since the Quidditch game.”

“Then why’s he _happy_?” Harry’s frown deepened and he rubbed his scar, he tried for a moment to reach across his connection to Voldemort. Just to see…

But Voldemort didn’t feel happy or angry or otherwise. And it was hard to get into his mind unless he felt that way. _Or maybe_ , Harry thought, _I’m just a piss-poor Legilimens._ He wondered if Occlumency still worked for Voldemort since they were connected. And found it too confusing to wonder about at the moment. He turned in his seat to glance at Malfoy. He was happy for a reason. Harry saw Malfoy look up at the staff table and turned to look at it himself.

Snape was there, and looking less tired than at lunch. Dumbledore was there. Harry frowned. “Where’s Professor Meioh,”

“Out with the Order,” Rei whispered across the table from him. “It’s something important tonight.”

Important meant Horcruxes. Harry nodded, returning to his food. He rubbed his scar and frowned.

There were a million reasons Malfoy could be happy. Hermione would tell him so, but something in Harry’s gut told him it was more.

 _Something’s going to happen,_ Harry thought. _But what? And when?_

“Dumbledore looks calm,” Ginny muttered to him. “We don’t have to worry yet.”

But that hardly helped the nagging feeling that plagued Harry through dinner and then through an hour staring blankly at his transfiguration homework. He gave up the effort around 22:00, shuffling off to bed and absently rubbing his scar. It was no longer painful, Rei had seen to that last year. But occasionally, like now, he would feel a phantom itch. He could not shake the feeling that something was going to happen.

The feeling – an acute unease – stayed with him as he tossed and turned in bed.

When Harry heard Ron’s snores coming from the bed beside his he sighed.

There was definitely something up with Malfoy. Which meant there was something up with Voldemort.

Harry lay awake: listening as first Neville, then Dean and Seamus, and finally Ron all creaked the door open, got ready for bed, and fell asleep.

When Ron's snores began to filter through the room Harry sighed, sitting up and reaching over for his glasses on the side table. He put them on, slipped his invisibility cloak out from under his pillow, and then leaned down to get his slippers.

The phantom itch prickled in his scar then. And Harry paused to rub it. His hand hesitated over the slippers and changed course. He slipped out of his dorm with his trainers securely laced up.

Something was off about Malfoy’s good mood. And, while he was thinking about it, something was off about Snape’s three-day mission. Hermione would call him paranoid but there had to be something, especially as his scar had been itching since nightfall.

Harry crept down the boys stairs into the empty common room. He dumped a new log onto the fire and settled down in front of it, trying not to fidget as he tried to do as Rei had taught him and _see_ , if he could, Voldemort’s own mind. It didn’t always work. But surely, right after a dream, he could do it.

~ _SMH~_

_A blast shook Rei awake. Her eyes opened up onto a battle that was all flying spells, dark figures like ghosts flitted through burning doorways and smoky corridors. Another blast went off by her face and she winced, squinting her eyes against the mortar dust that mixed in with the pungent smoke._

Where's Serenity _? She raced down the seemingly endless labrynth of corridors, past common rooms where battles raged between black-cloaked death eaters, students, teachers…_

 _Another blast knocked her off her feet and when she got back up smoke had engulfed the corridors. Spellfire was being shot blindly through the haze. She spun around._ Where’s Serenity. _She saw a pale white light streaming through a broken window and ran towards it._

_Suddenly she stood on the castle grounds, on the lakeshore with bodies all around her, collapsed in the mud. She looked to the castle doors..._

_The Queen was running down the steps, form masked in the moonlight of her powers. She stopped on the grounds, raising the silver crystal._

_A green light flashed behind her. And all the moonlight was at once snuffed out, even the moon overhead seemed to die, turning dull and grey. She screamed as the Queen crumbled into the frosted ground, a dark figure stood atop the tower above her, black wand raised high._

_"No!" Rei charged forwards._

_But she froze in her tracks, her scream cut off, as a hush as still as death swept across the chaotic grounds._

_From above, a small figure descended, her curved blade gleaming unnaturally bright in the pitch-dark night. She'd come to save them…to stop this, to give them all one more chance..._

_The figure looked up. Her eyes flashed a startling red. She swung the glaive outward, point poised at her._ _"Avada Kedavra."_

_The weapon lit up green as the spell shot her in the chest, the whole world drowned in the bright, sickly green._

~ _SMH_ ~

It was just as hard to meditate as it was to sleep, but this at least Harry managed, focusing on the phantom itch that lingered in his scar and the connection to Voldemort that persisted there.

 _Show me..._ Harry begged.

For one moment he was consumed by the heat from the hearth, the crackling of the logs, and the hypnotic movement of the flames.

And then the next the warmth was gone, replaced by a heavy chill. The flames gave way to a black and white-tiled room with a rich green carpet rolled up the center, up to the chair he was sitting in.

Harry saw the three figures kneeling before him, and laughed.

 _"I trust your teams are in place,"_ he said softly _. "They won't be expecting you."_

 _"We're ready My Lord,"_ one death eater said. " _But what about their time witch…"_

 _"She wont interfere,"_ He said, lounging in his chair. He drummed his fingers on the gold arm. " _All of you know which people and artifacts you must prioritize."_ His death eaters nodded. " _Then go. And leave Potter to me,"_ he laughed. _"I will arrive once the fighting is done, provided you have secured the diadem and –"_  
Harry jerked free of his trance as someone thundered down the stairs: Rei dashing into the room from the girls dorms.

"Harry!" Rei gasped as he stood up. She stopped in the common room as several more people scrambled into the common room behind her. Mina was hot on her heels, then Hermione, then Usagi.

"I saw Voldemort," Harry said as Usagi, and the rest of the sixth year girls piled into the common room. "He was telling his team they need to get the diadem."

"He's attacking tonight." Rei confirmed. Lavendar Brown shrieked. Ginny pushed past her to the front of the crowd, Sora Kaioh slipped through behind her. "He's using the cabinet," Rei added.

"I thought Malfoy wasn't done yet?" Hermione said. She tightened her robe, "I'll get Ron," and tore off up the boys staircase, already wearing her trainers.

"How the hell did he finish it?" Ginny growled. "We've been watching that door round the clock. He didn't even go inside last weekend.”

"Forget that now,” Mina said. She looked to Rei. “How long?" Mina wanted to know.

"Half an hour"  
"There's going to be a lot of them." Harry threw in. “He talked about multiple teams.”

“they're going to flood the corridors, go after the common rooms,” Rei added.

“We have to guard the cabinet," Usagi declared.

"She's right." Mina said. "Just because Setsuna said we can't destroy it doesn’t mean we should make this easy for them.”

Harry nodded. He tied his invisibility cloak securely around his neck as Sora, as quick as she was on her broom, darted through the crowd to throw the portrait hole open.

Hermione was coming back down the stairs, Ron and the rest of his dorm mates stumbling down behind her.

"Lets go." Harry said, following the Senshi as they clambered out of the portrait hole.

"WHAT are all of you doing!" the Fat Lady huffed.

They ignored her, tearing across the seventh floor, Harry in the lead, with Sora and Mina keeping pace with him. He was still running when they got to the Room of Requirement. He rushed through the three required paces back and forth in front of the wall, concentrating so hard on the room he wanted that he might have shouted the words out loud.

When the door appeared, Mina wrenched it open.

"Wait!" Hermione elbowed her way to the front and pointed her wand inside the dark room. _"Hominem Revelio."_

Nothing appeared.

"Let's go." Harry said, casting _lumos_ as he and Sora, who both knew the path through the labyrinth of junk best, raced each other inside. Harry's invisibility cloak whipped through the air as they led the group around sharp corners and down winding, narrow paths of overflowing shelves.

They sped up as they approached the corner that blocked the cabinet from view. They rounded it with their wands raised.

"WHAT!"

"NO."

Harry gaped.

Ron swore.

The Cabinet was gone.

~ _I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good~_


End file.
